Finishing 18 percent over last year’s goal, $7,940 was raised by First Bank staff for United Way partner agencies in Manatee County and Tampa Bay during the 2012 Annual United Way Employee Campaign throughout October.

“I want to thank our employees who made this campaign such a success,” said Anne Lee, First Bank President of Florida Retail Banking and a member of the United Way of Manatee County Board of Directors. “It really is another testament of their giving and generous community spirit.”

Prior to the campaign start, the United Way in Manatee County and Tampa Bay provided guest speakers at select First Bank offices to talk about their agencies and the support both agencies would give employees to meet their community goals.

First Bank also introduced the “Plus 1 Club,” an initiative that allows employees to contribute a dollar more per pay period than last year. For each additional dollar contributed, employees had their names entered into a special drawing for prizes.

The 2012 Annual United Way Employee Campaign ran throughout October. In 2011, First Bank staff raised $5,200 for United Way partner agencies in Manatee and Tampa Bay.

The United Way Employee Campaign capped off another big year of community contributions by First Bank, which offered financial literacy classes, participated in community programs for kids, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), various food and office equipment donations, andan array of holiday charity programs. All told, First Bank employees committed more than 1000 hours to Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) events.

First Bank is one of the largest privately owned banks in the country with $6.62 billion in assets and 146 locations in Florida, Illinois, California, and Missouri.