(Council Bluffs) -- One KMAland bank is giving back to its communities by helping renovate local neighborhoods.
TS Bank has launched its AMP or neighborhood program to assist homeowners with curb appeal and home improvements. In a press release last week, the bank announced their partnership with the 712 Initiative and Habitat for Humanity in Council Bluffs and with SHIFT ATL in the Atlantic. Director of public relations Kelsey Stupfell says the program really took off after a generous anonymous donation.
"So initially it was going to start with $5,000 in both Council Bluffs and Atlantic, and there was an anonymous donor that came along in the Council Bluffs market and they wanted to donate $100,000 to the 712 Initiative to help boost the program," Stupfell said. "Which was amazing, we were just flabbergasted and we're like okay, this is really relative to a lot of people and really hitting a community need."
In total, Stupfell says donors raised nearly $254,000 for the Council Bluffs Market, including a second $100,000 anonymous donation. Stupfell says almost half of those funds have already been utilized to assist 17 Council Bluffs homeowners. By the end of 2022, she says it will have helped 31.
Stupfell says the interactions with the homeowners were very positive, and she hopes they can make a lasting impact.
"All of them were very gracious, they were all really humble, and all just hard working people who needed that extra boost to give their curb appeal kind of that extra touch," Stupfell said. "Or just another hand to help with a project they had started and just needed help completing."
In Council Bluffs, Stupfell says she had the opportunity to meet two homeowners who had been struggling to put together the funds to improve their shared driveway. But, they were able to do so with the AMP program.
"It was kind of a win-win for their local street and also them and their two families and now the kids can freely play without any potential for tripping over anything," Stupfell said. "I had the opportunity to meet both of them personally, and they were both very gracious and over the moon with how the project turned out and how quickly we were able to help turn the project."
In the Atlantic market, Stupfell says they have assisted three homeowners through the program.
"For the Atlantic market, that was a $5,000 budget and so three homeowners were affected there," Stupfell said. "Two of those projects we were able to do hands on projects including painting a house, which had a really great before and after and that homeowner is just elated with how that turned out, and we did some landscaping on another homeowners project."
For more information on the AMP program, how to donate, or view pictures of the projects, visit tsbank.com/amp.
