The Oakleaf

Article originally published on CardRates.com - https://www.cardrates.com/news/tompkins-bank-of-castile-on-banking-credit-education/

This content was originally featured in the Batavia Daily News

As a community banking professional and father of two children, I often think about the importance of teaching them financial literacy. During Community Banking Month, we celebrate National Teach Children to Save Day on Thursday, April 22—a perfect opportunity for both parents and caregivers to begin having conversations with their children about how to manage money. It’s never too early to get started!

Every family’s situation is different, but there are easy, actionable steps that all parents can take to teach their children the value of a dollar. For example, around holidays and birthdays, our family opts for smaller gifts and encourages our relatives to give money instead of “stuff.” I always had one rule for my children when it came to receiving money; it goes right into their savings accounts. This is just one quick way to get the conversation started.

Many industries have been deemed essential over the last year. But perhaps none has been more crucial to our well-being than farming. Even the heroic medical workers we continue to value couldn’t function without food to sustain them. That’s why we wanted to pay special tribute to agribusiness on National Ag Day, which this year falls on March 23.

February is a time to come together in celebration of the contributions that Black Americans have made throughout American history and a time to pause and reflect on the ongoing struggle for equality and social justice. The theme of Black History Month this year is, The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity. As we take into consideration all that Black History Month represents, I cannot help but think about how timely and appropriate this theme is given all that our country, and specifically our Black neighbors, endured in 2020. While the year has ended, the work for racial justice continues.

History is full of examples of leaders in business, science, and other fields who, through their ability to inspire and guide people, have made the world a better place.  We celebrate our nation’s highest elected office on Presidents’ Day, this year on February 15. With this upcoming celebration, especially in the midst of a challenging environment, we thought it a good opportunity to ask Tompkins Bank of Castile President and CEO John Mckenna for his thoughts on the subject.

Tap. Sign Up. Make a Difference - an easy request that benefited so many. In early fall, Tompkins donated $5 dollars to our local United Way chapters for every new user that signed up for our digital banking service. The donation directly benefitted the United Way’s COVID Relief Fund to help our communities during this trying time.

To celebrate November’s designation as National Gratitude Month, Tompkins Bank of Castile, Tompkins Insurance Agencies and Tompkins Financial Advisors are donating $7,500 to several food pantries in our footprint of Western New York, calling the initiative “Banksgiving,” in lieu of hosting our annual Customer Appreciation Apple Day. As with many of our usual traditions, we’ve made adjustments this year in an effort to keep our community safe and we hope that this captures the spirit of our long-held tradition, while also helping the communities we serve during these trying times. 

Our Perry office has a new Branch Manager! Sara Mattingly is new to our Perry office, but she is no stranger to the banking industry. She has been in banking for more than 17 years, most recently as the branch manager of the Tompkins Bank of Castile Arcade and Gainesville offices. She is replacing  John Wheeler, who recently retired.

Sara not only works in the communities she serves; she becomes involved. She is a library board trustee in the Town of Gainesville and is a member of the Silver Springs Auxiliary. She is also pursuing a degree at Genesee Community College. She resides in Silver Springs with her husband and two sons, and is looking forward to making a difference in the Perry area.

“Sara continues to make us proud as she contributes her efforts not only to our branch teams, but to our community at large,” said Diane Torcello, Senior Vice President, Community Banking. “We look forward to the great work she’ll do at our Perry Branch and the leadership she will bring to the team there.”

For more information, please visit our website at BankofCastile.com or give Sara a call at the Perry Branch!