Laconia Savings Bank Donates $15,000 to Assist Military Families

Louis Guevin, jr., Executive Vice President - Commercial Services for Laconia Savings Bank; Chaplain Steven Veinotte, Chaplain Emergency Relief Fund Trustee; James Goss, Executive Director – NH Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Laconia Savings Bank would like to thank its employees and local businesses who donated the 160 items that were auctioned off in this year’s Holiday Auction. The $15,000 in proceeds from the Holiday Auction were donated to the New Hampshire National Guard’s Chaplain Emergency Relief Fund.

The fund was established during Operation Desert Storm when many military families faced financial hardship during the deployment of their loved ones. Any person serving as a member of a military unit located in New Hampshire is eligible to receive support. Monies are used exclusively to assist military members and their families who are experiencing an unexpected financial crisis. In the four years that Laconia Savings Bank has been supporting the NHNG-CERF through their annual auction, the bank has donated more than $50,000 to the fund.

"It's a pretty significant part of our budget," stated Chaplain Steven Veinotte, Trustee for the Chaplain Emergency Relief Fund on Monday morning as he received a giant novelty check from Louis Guevin, jr., Executive Vice President of Commercial Services for Laconia Savings Bank. “This donation gives CERF the flexibility to respond immediately to a serviceman or woman or their family member who is in a dire situation.” Monday's gift, he added, represented about 25 percent of the total donations for 2011. Approximately $50,000 in financial aid was distributed by CERF in 2011.

Guevin, who himself is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, said that “as a community bank with a statewide presence, supporting a program like CERF, helps the broadest range of New Hampshire residents which is reflected in Laconia Savings Bank’s mission.”

For more information or to make a tax-deductible contribution to CERF, write to: CERF, PO Box 3448, Concord NH 03302-3448.