For 1st Source Bank, giving back and being committed to the communities in which it operates is a fundamental trait embedded into the fabric of the company. Making each community a better place to live, work and raise a family is at the forefront of the regional bank’s mission.
In keeping with the tradition of service that the company values so highly, three dynamic 1st Source Bank representatives - Gloria Vaughan-Mckown, Lori Moulton, and Jayne Cooper - are now playing leading roles within three different major nonprofits here in the region.
Gloria Vaughan-Mckown, Retail Market Manager with 1st Source Bank, oversees eight 1st Source banking centers in Valparaiso, Chesterton and Portage. On the nonprofit side of things, Vaughan-Mckown serves as Chief Volunteer Officer with the Valparaiso Family YMCA. While her position is as CVO, she is essentially serving as the organization’s Board Chair.
“I’m very appreciative that 1st Source supports the employees in their community endeavors,” Vaughan-Mckown said. “When I was interviewing with 1st Source, they spoke with me about the bank's commitment to community. I knew at that time that I would be able to contribute fully to an organization that was important to me. It makes me very proud, as an employee, that my employer cares so much for others and those less fortunate. It’s taking care of our own, as family would.”
One of Vaughan-Mckown’s personal passions is to offer children, infants and young adults a life filled with healthy and positive options in an atmosphere of total acceptance. Her mission, through working to grow the Y, is to give kids the opportunities that they deserve and help them to discover who they are and what they can achieve.
“The Y is ‘that place’ where everyone feels welcome to join in a basketball game or social events, and it offers many options for many ages,” Vaughn-Mckown described. “My own children learned to swim at the Y, and we hosted children’s parties there as well.”
“It’s just the right thing to do!” said Vaughan-Mckown when speaking about supporting and promoting the Valparaiso Y. “Most recently, we’ve completed a building expansion that offers specialized areas for our healthcare partner, St. Mary Medical, to provide physical therapy and office space for basic health related testing and educational offerings. In addition, the space provides Mind, Body, Spirit classes, such as yoga, and personal training space.”
The YMCA is serving one in seven individuals in Porter County. Over 800 children receive quality child care through the Valparaiso YMCA. Swim lessons/water safety classes reach 2,600 plus children age 6 months and up, per year and over 120 clients from local Human Service Agencies, such as Opportunity Enterprises, The Caring Place, and Porter-Starke, were provided free memberships. Vaughan-Mckown, and the team at the Y, work to raise funds so that more adults, children and families can benefit from the expansive Y programs regardless of their economic status.
Lori Moulton, Banking Center Manager with 1st Source Bank, has been in the banking industry for 26 years and with 1st Source since 2010. After serving as an Opportunity Enterprises Board Member since 2011, Moulton is now the Board Chair. While she is in her sixth year as OE board member, she has been involved with them for much longer.
“I became involved with Opportunity Enterprises after my son, David, was born,” Moulton said. “David has Down’s Syndrome and started using their services at about 6 months old. He participated in a program called Home Start where he received Occupational and Speech Therapy during home visits and he started attending SELF school at 5 years of age. Now, as an adult, he works in the Amazing Market, the retail shop at OE that sells popcorn, fudge and other candies, as well as, ceramic items made by the wonderfully talented clients at OE.”
Moulton has volunteered at OE for many years and, now, as Board Chair, she presides over Board meetings, attends events and helps with fundraisers to support the organization.
“The mission of Opportunity Enterprises is to maximize self-sufficiency and enrich the quality of life for individuals with disabilities,” Moulton described. “I have been fortunate enough to be able to establish a career and family in this community. Many people, due to their circumstances, are unable to work and earn a living that allows them independence and freedom to live their lives the way they want. I feel that when I serve on the Board at OE, I’m helping individuals to live more fully and to have the life they desire and deserve. It is only right that I should help those who have needs.”
Moulton spoke about the encouragement that 1st Source Bank provided her to get involved in the community, in saying, “When I first started working at 1st Source, my manager told me that I should find a volunteer activity that was “near and dear to my heart.” That was really great to hear and was very easy to do. Opportunity Enterprises came to mind immediately. At 1st Source Bank we are encouraged, from all levels, to be involved in our respective communities. I am so happy to be working for a company that finds the value in giving back to our communities.”
1st Source Bank’s Jayne Cooper started working with the company 41 years ago and, after starting as a teller, she has worked her way up to her current position as Regional Sales Manager. Cooper now serves as Board Chair of United Way of Porter County also as a way to help make a positive difference in her community.
“When I began working in Porter County, I was interested in getting involved with an organization that covers many different aspects of people's lives in the communities,” Cooper said. “I had been involved in other United Ways previously so I knew what they do. The UWPC is very vibrant and active in Porter County.”
“United Way of Porter County leads, unites and inspires our community to improve lives,” Cooper added. “It is a safety net to provide services every day from prenatal education to end of life hospice and everything in between. We serve 41% of Porter County population through programs and partners. Everything that we fund has a person or program directly affected by UWPC. We measure impact one person and one family at a time, thus strengthening the community.”
The United Way of Porter County manages many programs such as AmeriCorps which places 47 people in the community to help with mentoring, tutoring and capacity building. RSVP – Retired Senior Volunteer Program - places 400 plus seniors in volunteering situations throughout the community. Also, the VITA program is very busy right now with free tax preparation for households under $54,000 income and so far this year the UWPC has reached over 500 people through the program.
“The UWPC is a very active United Way and more than what most people think of with United Way’s,” Cooper described. “It is a multi-dimensional nonprofit for the Porter County Community. So many think of United Way for their Workplace Campaigns but it so much more about impact, improving lives and working for everyone to have a great quality of life. Our Regional Volunteer Center places volunteers year-round but our signature event is our Annual Day of Caring which involves 1,400 volunteers in a one-day service event.”
From a young age, Cooper was taught the value of reaching out and helping those around you in the community.
“My dad taught me about giving back,” Cooper said. “He was always involved in a lot of things in the community, plus I work for a great place that really wants us to give back as well. I say that I have been very lucky and blessed in my life. Others are not always as fortunate. If I can do something to change someone’s life, to make it better, and to give them a hand up, that’s why I do it.”
For over 150 years, 1st Source Bank has been giving back to the community to actively help build good places to live, work and raise a family. That service, and the dedicated community involvement put forth by Vaughan-Mckown, Moulton, and Cooper, is part of the core values that define who 1st Source Bank is and how they do business.
