Mizuho Americas has always been invested in the well-being of the seniors in their community. In the Broadway theatre district of New York, Encore Community Services has catered to the needs of low-income seniors for 30 years. Encore offers housing, social services and a community center for seniors who need help, housing or friends—and Mizuho Americas has been a long-time partner in their work.
Bank employees have been volunteering with Encore Community Services for 23 years, serving lunch to seniors three times a week—an accumulation of thousands of meals over the years. Over the years, Mizuho Americas has arranged special programs for seniors such as inviting the NYPD to join them in facilitating discussions on how to prevent elder fraud—brainstorming with Encore to ensure they are doing what they can to meet the needs of the community.
Most recently, at a time when isolation is a sudden reality for so many seniors, Mizuho Americas knew that they wanted to take their relationship with Encore Community Services a step further. The bank partnered once more with Encore to launch the Friendly Phone Call program as a way to help relieve the burden of loneliness. Bank employees make weekly calls to check on homebound seniors to make sure they feel connected. In addition to phone calls, bankers have gone the extra mile to arrange food deliveries and other key services necessitated by COVID-19.
The ongoing success of this program has earned Mizuho Americas a 2020 Community Commitment Award from the ABA Foundation. This award recognizes and promotes the many valuable ways banks of all sizes contribute to economic growth, community development and enhancing the quality of life in their communities—and is a true badge of honor for any bank to earn.
