Sterling Bank employees volunteer over 53,000 hours

Employees of Sterling Bank, a subsidiary of Sterling Financial Corporation with a bank in Coeur d'Alene, contributed 53,187 volunteer hours in 2012, assisting nearly 2,000 charitable organizations.

"At Sterling, we strive to be a bridge to the possible for our communities. I am proud of our employees for taking the initiative to get out, volunteer and better their neighborhoods," said Ezra Eckhardt, president and chief operating officer of Sterling Bank.

Of the total hours volunteered, about 13,000 were part of Sterling's employee volunteer time-off program that was implemented in 2012. Through the program, Sterling provides employees with 12 paid hours per year to volunteer during work hours with a nonprofit, school or public service organization of their choice.

As determined by the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics rate, the estimated dollar value of the total volunteer hours translates to just over $1.1 million.

Dutch Bros. donates $139K for youth organizations

Dutch Bros. Coffee raised over $139K - nearly $50K more than last year - for youth organizations during its annual Buck-4-Kids event on Dec. 7.

That day, all 190 Dutch Bros. Coffee locations in seven states participated by donating drink proceeds to youth programs selected by local owner-operators.

There are two Dutch Bros. Coffee sites in Coeur d'Alene.

Dutch Bros. will be holding its annual MDA Day on May 3, which last year raised $174K for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

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