On February 26th, Arvest associates and their family and friends from across North Central Arkansas took the plunge into the icy waters of Lake Norfork during the 6th Annual Polar Bear Plunge to benefit the Special of Olympics of Arkansas.

Twenty-one brave souls represented Arvest and took the plunge and raised over $1,400! They also took the award for the Largest Group to Plunge and Best Dressed!

This year’s Polar Bear Plunge was the most successful to date with a total of over 51 plungers and $7,200 raised for Special Olympics. To learn more about the Special Olympics and how you can get involved, click here. 

Lynn Dame, Arvest associate and winner of the Best Dressed category, shows off her tropical-themed outfit. 

Arvest associates "take the plunge" into the frigid Lake Norfork water. 

The cold weather and multiple snow storms can’t keep a good thing down. Progress is coming along quite nicely for the newest Arvest branch being built in Springfield at Chestnut and National. The first branch in Missouri to be built to LEED certification standards is starting to really take shape as the walls have gone up, the window holes have been cut out and the entire steel structure is up. There is still plenty to do but it is still on track to open summer of this year!

Students at Hollister Elementary School are learning the value of a dollar through real-world business situations as part of Arvest’s Dollars and Sense program. The idea behind the Arvest Dollars and Sense program is simple: Bank representatives visit with students once a month as part of an effort to teach students lessons about the various aspects of money and savings. As part of this program, students in Hollister created and sold products such as bookmarks, bracelets and decorative pins , operating as if they were a small business. The students were then able to present their products to a loan officer from Arvest and ask for a loan to start their “business”.

The money made through this project will go toward the cost of a charter bus for a student trip to Jefferson City in April.  Elementary teacher Shawn Merriman said the week of sales should account for about a quarter of the $2,200 needed for the bus. Merriman said donations and funds raised from a recent recycling project will also help pay for the cost of the bus trip.

The project isn’t just about raising money, though. It teaches a very valuable lesson about economics and money management. Says Merriman of the teaching methods of Arvest Dollars and Sense, “It is a hands on way, rather than just out of the book.”

For more information about this project, take a look at an article from the Branson Tri-Lakes News by clicking here.

Then, click here to visit Arvest Money Skills for educational games, articles and budgeting tools for all ages.

Arvest is proud to be a sponsor of the Air & Rocket Racing Show, hosted by the Tulsa Air & Space Museum and Planetarium. Currently, all Arvest Tulsa Metro banking locations, are serving as ticket outlets for the show.  Adult tickets (15 years and up) are $11, child tickets (4-15 years old) are $7 and children under 4 are free! All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the museum’s educational and inspirational initiatives throughout the year.

The Tulsa Air & Space Museum and Planetarium is located at 3624 North 74th East Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To learn more about the Air & Rocket Racing Show, click here.
 

Who's the best? Oklahoma Magazine once again seeks to answer that question with their annual "The Best of the Best" awards. Voting is now open for Tulsa and Oklahoma City. From burgers to banks, (including Arvest Bank), bike shops to brunch, Oklahoma Magazine readers are encouraged to to tell us who they feel is doing a good job, and who's doing the best.

Click here to cast your votes now and tell Oklahoma Magazine who you think is the best!

Phyllis Turrentine, a loan operations manager at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, downtown location, is celebrating her 41st year with the bank!  Phyllis has served our Arvest team and customers faithfully for many years. Arvest would like to extend our deep gratitude to Phyllis for her loyalty and dedication to her customers.  Congratulations on 41 years! 

Arvest associates from the Fort Smith region participated in the Polar Bear Plunge on January 16th at the Greenwood Country Club to raise money for the Special Olympics.  The team consisted of Jamie Sudberry, Jeremy Ruth, Eric Smithson, Gina Cannon, Mikelyn Harvey and Lacey Neissl.   The team bravely dived into the brisk water and in doing so, raised $500! All of the teams combined raised a grand total of $11,000 for the Special Olympics.

To learn more about the Special Olympics, click here. Meanwhile, check out the photos from our own "plunge" below!

The Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce held their annual Joplin Business Expo at the Holiday Inn Convention Center.  The theme this year was "Lights, Camera, Shop" with a red carpet "Hollywood" feel.  We decorated our booth as a popcorn concession stand at a movie theater.  The Arvest team had a lot of fun! Just check out our photos below from the expo: