Arvest is proud to partner with the nationally awarded, food bank, Harvesters in Kansas during our 1 Million Meals campaign.  We congratulate them for this prestigious honor and thank them for their assistance.

Harvesters—The Community Food Network has been named the 2011 Food Bank of the Year by Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network. This national award annually recognizes the outstanding food bank in the country for exemplifying the highest standards in fulfilling its mission to feed the hungry. 

 “This honor celebrates our community’s legacy of generosity and dedication to helping those in need,” said Harvesters President and CEO Karen Haren. “More than 30 years ago, Harvesters was created by this community as its response to hunger. We are proud to share this award with everyone who has donated $1, a can of food or volunteered for an hour to help us provide food and hope to the hungry.”

Harvesters is the regional food bank serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas. The food bank acquires, stores and distributes food through a network of more than 620 nonprofit agencies, including food pantries, kitchens, shelters, day care centers and others.  For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.

To learn more about 1 Million Meals and other community events, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
 

Arvest Bank in North Central Arkansas held its annual Shred-A-Thon event on Saturday, May 7th at the Mountain Home East branch in honor of Earth Day. 

The Shred-A-Thon, sponsored by Arvest and Shred-it, provided an environmentally friendly way to discard unwanted paper and sensitive documents in a secure manner.  It was a record-setting year with over 5,000 pounds of paper shred!  In leu of paying for the shred service, customers were asked to make a monetary or food donation to the 1 Million Meals initiative.

Arvest collected 423 food items and $741.00 in monetary donations benefiting the Mountain Home Food Basket.  Donations to the 1 Million Meals initiative are still being accepted at all Arvest branches.

Other easy ways to save valuable resources year-round are signing up for e.Statements, using Arvest Online Banking or Mobile Banking.

To learn more about 1 Million Meals and other community events, follow us on Twitteror Facebook.
 

Trivia Challenge Benefiting Economics Arkansas
The Pulaski County Corporate Trivia Challenge was held on Thursday, April 21st at the Wyndham Hotel Riverfront in North Little Rock, AR.  The event benefited Economics Arkansas, and Arvest Central Arkansas was proud to be a part of the festivities.  The Trivia Challenge is a unique event to raise awareness and funds for K-12 economic literacy in Pulaski County.  It is a fun-filled evening with teams of community leaders and educators competing to match one another’s wit and trivia knowledge.  Spectators are encouraged to make the evening fun with special dress, props, and plenty of cheering.  Arvest associates went country with western attire as shown in the photo below. 

We would also like to thank our team members, Chris Turnage, Joe Crace, Keith Carlson, and Kenneth Knoch for representing Arvest at the Trivia Challenge.  For more information about Economics Arkansas, please visit www.economicsarkansas.org.

Miracle League of Arkansas
Arvest in Central Arkansas was given the opportunity to help out at a Miracle League of Arkansas game.  Disabled children in our community have expressed the desire to play baseball just like their typical peers, including dressing in uniform, making plays in the field, and rounding the bases. 

The Miracle League of Arkansas makes this dream a reality for these children. 

Several Arvest associates volunteered their time on Saturday, April 23rd at the Junior Deputy Fields on Cantrell Road in Little Rock. 

Miracle League volunteers are called “buddies,” and they are mostly needed to support and cheer on the players, as well as help them bat and get around the bases.  

If you would like more information about the Miracle League or other volunteer opportunities, please visit www.miracleleaguear.com.

The Tulsa Drillers have agreed to partner with Arvest Bank to help raise awareness fo the the problem of hunger in our communities.  They are offering ticket discounts to encourage support of the 1 Million Meals initiative.

From now until May 31st, the Tulsa Drillers will provide a coupon for $1.00 off a ticket when a donation of $1.00 or more is mad at any Arvest Bank location in the Tulsa area.  To receive your discount coupon, visit any Tulsa area Arvest location and make a donation.

Thank you to the Tulsa Drillers for supporting the 1 Million Meals campaign!

To learn more about 1 Million Meals and other community events, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Arvest Bank ranks highest in the Southwest region in the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.  This is the second consecutive year that Arvest has been recognized with the highest ranking in the Southwest region.

“To be honored by our customers through this well respected consumer survey year over year is certainly an honor,” said Kevin Sabin, president and COO of Arvest Bank. “Our associates work hard to provide the best banking experience possible to each customer and we are grateful to have that hard work recognized by those customers.”

Arvest Bank received ratings significantly higher than the Southwest regional averages in the five of the six factors analyzed by the study - account activities, account information, facility, fees, and product offerings. The study was conducted with more than 51,000 banking consumers being interviewed throughout eleven regions across the United States. The Southwest Region is comprised of six states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma and Utah.

In addition to the top ranking in the Southwest Region, Arvest was ranked third in the South Central Region for 2011.  Arvest Bank received ratings higher than the South Central regional averages in the five of the six factors analyzed by the study - account activities, account information, facility, fees, and product offerings. The South Central Region is comprised of five states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Arvest Bank has some of the lowest fees in the nation and offers 12-hour weekday banking, along with Saturday hours at many of its more than 240 locations.  Arvest also offers many convenient and innovative products including Arvest Rewards, mobile banking, an iPhone application to locate branches and ATMs, a reloadable Spending Card, a shared Family Card and extensive online banking tools.
  
“Our exceptional commitment to service, combined with cutting-edge products and services make Arvest a bank that is easy to use,” said Sabin. “The bottom line is that when you put the needs of your customers first, your customers take notice. This is an honor and we want to thank all our customers for trusting us to care for their financial needs.”

To view more information and ratings overview for the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Retail Banking Satisfaction StudySM, visit
http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/news/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2011043.

Through the first half of April our associates and customers have raised over 170,000 meals for the hungry in our communities and we thank you!  Arvest has also added funds to provide an additional 100,000 meals - bringing the current total to more than 270,000. We still have a long way to go, but by working together we can do it.

There have been some great stories about how associates and customers are making a difference on the way to 1 Million Meals:

You can find Arvest Little Rock associates participating in the upcoming events listed below. 

April 29th: Arthritis Foundation 14th Annual Foam Fest
Foam Fest is an event offering samples of beer and wine from around the world and the best, live music from local bands.  It’s a creative twist to the traditional wine tasting event and will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the River Market pavilions in downtown Little Rock.  All proceeds from the event will benefit the Arthritis Foundation Arkansas Chapter.

You must be 21 to enter. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.arthritis.org/chapters/arkansas/foamfest09.php or call Angela at 501-664-7242 (ext.223).

May 6th: Craws for a Cause
Craws for a Cause is a crawfish fundraiser which will be held at North Little Rock’s Dickey Stephens Park on Friday, May 6th. This year’s goal is to raise $70,000 to go towards two top-of-the-line incubator beds for Baptist Health’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

These beds eliminate the stress of moving critically-ill infants, and they give these babies the best fighting chance for a healthy life.  On Friday, May 6th you will find Arvest associates, family members, and friends eating crawfish for a great cause!  We are proud to help support this goal.
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.crawsforacause.com.

May 13th: Mid-Southern Watercolorists 41st Annual Exhibition Opening Reception
The Juried Exhibition will open on Friday, May 13th at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, and the event is free to the public. Several Arvest associates and other guests will be in attendance for the opening reception.

Mid-Southern Watercolorists was founded and incorporated in Little Rock, AR and was formed to elevate the stature of watercolor and educate the public about the significance of watercolor as an important creative painting medium. The organization is dedicated to the highest aesthetic standards and furthers the interest of painters in watercolor by its programs and competitive exhibits.  They also encourage its study by art students and others engaged in watercolor painting.

May 21st: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Great Strides Walk 2011
Arvest will team up with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation again this year to sponsor the Little Rock Great Strides Walk at the Little Rock Zoo.

Cystic Fibrosis is a chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of up to 35,000 individuals in the U.S. and 70,000 worldwide.  The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to develop the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.  To help assist with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s mission, many Arvest associates will spend their Saturday morning walking to help find a cure.

Registration begins at 7:00 a.m., and the walk begins at 8:00 a.m. If you are interested in registering as a walker or would like more information about Cystic Fibrosis, you may visit www.cff.org.
 

Once a month Arvest associates in Greater Kansas City dress casual for a small fee which is then donated to a local charity; they have coined this initiative, Casual for a Cause.

During the month of March, Arvest associates in Kansas City allocated their Casual for a Cause collection to Autism Speaks, an organization committed to changing the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.  In total, Arvest GKC associates raised $905!   

Autism affects 1 in 110 people and 1 in 70 boys.  Arvest associate Patrick James wanted to be a part of the check presentation because his son is also affected by autism and supports this worthy cause.

 Click here to learn more about Autism Speaks.