Synovus staffers collect books, water, other goods for communities

The ability to read well is not an option, virtually all would agree.

With that in mind, Synovus Financial Corp. and its banks across five states have gathered nearly 5,000 children’s books that are being given to youngsters to help develop their basic reading skills.

The regional bank, headquartered in Columbus and parent company of Columbus Bank and Trust, is now in the process of delivering those books to kids in their communities. For Columbus, the company on Thursday afternoon will be putting some of them in the hands of second- and third-graders who are part of the local Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley. An event, which is to include readings by executives, will take place on the Synovus Centre lawn downtown.

Synovus said it’s “Here Matters” campaign has collected 1,712 books in the Columbus market alone, with 4,934 altogether in its combined markets that include cities in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. The book drive was held in late April.

Aside from the educational benefits that books provide, the “Here Matters” effort also focuses on “needs-based opportunities, and health and wellness,” the company said in a release. That all adds up to nearly 10,000 items collected, such as toiletries, snacks and canned goods, and just under 32,000 bottles of water being given to various community groups and organizations.

The bank also noted special projects and moments companywide, with employees in Warner Robins, Ga., constructing a sub-floor for a homeless shelter, workers in Savannah, Ga, collecting and donating 225 fans to senior citizens, and staffers volunteering at an autism center in Chattanooga, Tenn., and holding financial literacy classes at a middle school in Atlanta.

Synovus said groups and agencies that it works with include the Boys & Girls Clubs, the United Way, the American Cancer Society, Genesis Joy House, YMCA, Good Sam Ministry, The Secret Pantry, the Children’s Miracle Network, Phoebe Putney Hospital, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Synovus staffers collect books, water, other goods for communities."