Community Impact Stories

We take pride in our partnerships with community organizations and recognize the impact these partnerships can make, so we encourage locally-driven partnerships. Habitat for Humanity is an organization that has built a unique partnership with our bank in recent years. Multiple independent relationships have grown between our banking and mortgage teams and their local Habitat for Humanity locations in different areas across the country. 

Sunflower Bank is committed to enhancing the communities in which our employees and customers live, work, and raise their families. The Willow Estates project in Colby, KS was a perfect investment opportunity for us to help address a growing housing need in one of our communities. Developed as a direct response to Colby’s need for more housing options for its workforce, Willow Estates promises essential affordable housing and serves as a model for future collaborative efforts to improve the quality of life in Kansas and beyond.

To the First National 1870 community, the late Michaelann Perea was not only an outstanding Guardian Mortgage Area Manager in New Mexico, she was a beloved and accomplished colleague and a generous friend. When she tragically passed away on September 7, 2022, her death not only affected her bank family but the entire community of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Move for the Museum 5k Run/Walk, held in memory of Michaelann Perea since 2023, is an annual fundraising event that pulls the Santa Fe community together to support the Santa Fe Children’s Museum. 

The relationship between Sunflower Bank and El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank is proof that valuable organizations that uplift and support their communities are recognized and rewarded for the work that they do. In 2023, Sunflower Bank donated a total of $13,000 to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger through two separate donations, both tied to community partnership and development.

We strive daily to uphold our mission statement, “Bringing out the best in the lives we touch . . . Creating Possibility.” One way that we support our communities is through financial assistance and strategic alignment with purposeful organizations and causes. In 2023, Sunflower Bank served as an anchor investor providing $7.5 million in debt and equity financing for the Dallas Housing Opportunity Fund.

Native Community Capital (NCC) was formed in 2019 to address the challenges faced by tribal members looking to secure funding for a variety of reasons. Sunflower Bank, through the Kansas City Fed’s Investment Connection Program, supported NCC’s cause in New Mexico by providing a $1.1 million loan that provides below-market rate debt to small businesses, housing, and physical infrastructure projects in tribal communities.

The 2023 Gray Fire in Spokane County left many community members dealing with loss and displacement. Our Guardian Mortgage team stepped in to help Our Place Community Outreach sort a warehouse of donations that poured in after the tragic fire. This effort helped get the donations turned back around into the community faster to those dealing with the loss of their belongings.

As a proud supporter of financial literacy, Sunflower Bank was thrilled to collaborate with 2023 Community Partner Awards recipient United Way of Central Kansas in presenting the 2024 Reality U event. This initiative brought together eighth graders from various schools for an engaging and educational experience in personal finance.

Sunflower Bank was proud to sponsor the January Laundry Love event in Great Bend, KS. Laundry Love is a key initiative of one of our 2023 Community Partner Awards recipients: United Way of Central Kansas, who strives to make a tangible difference in the lives of families navigating economic challenges. This event allowed 65 Individuals and 28 families to complete 113 loads of free laundry.

Sunflower Bank sponsored three sold-out Pueblo Bulls JR Hockey Club games as part of a special Autism Awareness weekend to benefit the Soaring Eagles Center for Autism in Pueblo, CO.

Sunflower Bank Regional Market President and 2023 Austin Business Journal "Women in Business" Honoree, Donna Day leads Sunflower Bank's investment in the Austin Housing Conservancy, to uphold the bank's commitment to clients and communities within our Austin, TX region. 

Sunflower Bank played a part in raising $400,000 for cancer survivors as the presenting sponsor of the 27th Annual Livestrong Challenge on September 10, 2023 in downtown Austin, TX.

We are a longtime corporate sponsor of Make-A-Wish Arizona, but in 2023, Commercial Banking Team Lead Scott Sipe and Business Banking Client Manager Ian McKay decided to build an event around their shared love of cars to drive to raise more donations and make a bigger local impact.

Becca Maxwell of Ellinwood, KS and Kristin McAllister of Great Bend, KS joined a Local Health Equity Action Team of dedicated community leaders and health workers that create opportunities for different stakeholders to promote and support health equity.