Defiance, OH (January 31, 2022) – Premier Bank has awarded Dawn Bales, Vice President, Private Banker, the fifth annual Jeff Vereecke Community Impact Award. The award is designed to honor one individual who shares in the Bank’s dedication and passion for spreading kindness, doing good deeds and making our communities stronger by demonstrating superior service to the community in which they work and/or live.
Bales was selected as the recipient of the award by Premier Bank’s executive management team and by Karen Vereecke, widow of Jeff Vereecke, former Executive Vice President and Northern Market Area President for Premier Bank, who lost his battle with cancer in 2014. “It is an honor to be recognized with this prestigious award by an organization like Premier Bank that does so much to give back to the communities it serves,” said Bales.
Bales’ nomination highlighted her community involvement throughout the Adrian and Lenawee county communities that ranged from serving as Lenawee County Commissioner for District 4 and Secretary of the Economic Development Corporation, Athena Council Member, Brownfield Development, Hospital Authority Board, and Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee County Board to volunteering her time with non-profit organizations such as Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce, Civitan of Lenawee, Health and Human Services Grant Committee, Madison School Board and the United Way of Lenawee County. “Dawn is a mirror image of the Adrian community that Jeff Vereecke represented. She truly embodies the Premier Bank tagline, “Powered By People”. We are truly blessed to have her on our Premier Team family as a friend and colleague,” said Mary Alice Nagel, Vice President, Private Banker, in her nomination.
As part of the award, Bales received $2,500 to donate to non-profit organizations of her choice. She chose to donate $1,000 to Habitat of Lenawee County, $500 to ATHENA Lenawee, $500 to the Hope Community Center in Adrian, MI and $500 to the Lenawee Humane Society.
