Athens Federal Community Bank Gives Seniors Peace of Mind About Their Safety and Security

Jeff Cunningham, president and CEO of Athens Federal said, “Our relationship with CRA Partners, and platforms like the Senior Crimestoppers program, serves a vital part of our mission as a community-minded, customer-centric local financial institution. Our bank is committed to the development of under-served communities, and with expertise, innovation and leadership, helps local people and projects like Senior Crimestoppers succeed. We are honored to play a role in bringing this program to the Lenoir City community.”

Thanks to Athens Federal Community Bank, N.A., residents of Baptist Health Care Center in Lenoir City, Tennessee will live in a safer and even more secure living environment. Athens Federal recently joined CRA Partners and is helping vulnerable seniors by funding the Senior Crimestoppers program to protect those who live and work in this local care facility.

CRA Partners, powered by the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation, is a national organization that guarantees banks federally mandated CRA credit through the operation of the turn-key Senior Crimestoppers program providing safe and secure living environments for our nation’s low to moderate income seniors. Through flexible funding options such as CRA-qualified community development loans, investments or grants, banks provide the program in senior housing facilities, HUD communities and state Veterans homes while garnering positive public relations exposure in their communities.

Crime against the elderly in our society is a longstanding, constant battle that can be reduced and prevented through the operation of the Senior Crimestoppers program in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Senior Crimestoppers is a coordinated set of components that work together to create a zero tolerance to crime platform in senior housing facilities. Components include cash rewards up to $1,000 paid anonymously for information about wrongdoing of any kind, personal lockboxes for the residents, and effective, on-going education and training for staff members and residents. Senior Crimestoppers has reduced all aspects of crime in participating facilities by 95%.

“Senior Crimestoppers is a way for an administrator to further enhance the lives of the residents they serve. They all work very hard to provide safe, secure, comfortable living environments and their desire to implement the program is just one more example of this. Implementing this program does not mean that the facility currently has a crime problem, but that the administrator is proactively finding a way to keep problems from occurring in the future,” said Terry Rooker, president of Senior Crimestoppers.

According to Jeff Cunningham, president and CEO of Athens Federal, “Our relationship with CRA Partners, and platforms like the Senior Crimestoppers program, serves a vital part of our mission as a community-minded, customer-centric local financial institution. Our bank is committed to the development of under-served communities, and with expertise, innovation and leadership, helps local people and projects like Senior Crimestoppers succeed. We are honored to play a role in bringing this program to the Lenoir City community.”

About Athens Federal Community Bank
Since 1934, Athens Federal Community Bank, N.A. has been committed to meeting the financial needs of McMinn, Monroe and Bradley counties and the surrounding area. Bank management and employees are dedicated to offering quality service with a full range of financial products and services, including personal and business banking and consumer, commercial and home loans. For additional information about Athens Federal, visit www.athensfederal.com, follow AFCB on Facebook, call 800-526-3572 or stop by any of our conveniently-located offices in Athens, Cleveland, Etowah, Madisonville, Sweetwater and Lenoir City.