Our most impactful community partnerships are often rooted in personal connections. For Marc Hendrikson, a Commercial Relationship Manager with the Construction Trades Banking team in Broomfield, CO, his journey with Raise the Future (Raise) is rooted in his own experience as an adoptive parent that started well before the bank became a partner.
Personal Connection Leads to Service and Partnership
Marc is now a parent to four adopted children, and Raise the Future played a direct role in connecting them over a decade ago. This experience gave Marc a deep and personal understanding of the ups and downs in the journey of adoption and the importance of having a trusted partner like Raise through the process.
In 2018, Marc was reintroduced to Raise the Future through a business partner and quickly got connected with their work. What began as an introduction quickly grew into meaningful involvement, including attending board meetings and volunteering at events. Marc currently serves as the Vice Chair of the board at Raise and is preparing to step into the chairman role soon. For his work with Raise the Future and other organizations, Marc was recognized with a Sunflower Bank Volunteer Award in 2024, given to bank employees with the most hours serving their respective communities.
While reflecting on his relationship with Raise, Marc expressed, “My relationship with Raise the Future has helped me grow as a parent, a banker, and a person.”
Creating Lifelong Relationships Between Families and Children in Need
Raise the Future is a nonprofit organization that works across Colorado, Utah, and Nevada to connect youth in foster care with permanent families. Their programs include family-finding services and trauma-informed therapeutic care, all provided at no cost to help build lifelong support systems.
Raise surrounds youth and families with the support they need so their relationships last a lifetime. Since 1983, they have helped place over 10,000 children in pre-adoptive homes.
“Connection is at the core of everything we do here at Raise,” said Mariana Pino, Vice President of Programs for Colorado at Raise the Future. “We believe every young person deserves to go through life knowing they have a caring adult by their side.” For Marc, those words reflect his own values. “I don’t need the recognition,” he shared. “I just really enjoy connecting. It’s more about what I get back from these relationships than what I’m giving.”
Sunflower Bank Helps Turn Personal Passion to Community Impact
Inspired by Marc’s leadership and story, Sunflower Bank has been a proud supporter of Raise the Future since 2019, the same year Marc joined our team. The bank has sponsored key events such as the organization’s annual “Bright Futures” banquet and “Play Fore a Cause” golf tournament, both part of Raise’s annual Champions for Children event that started in 1990.
“It’s an honor to help bridge the work I care about so deeply with the support Sunflower Bank can provide,” Marc said.
“Valuable connections with partners like Sunflower Bank make an enormous difference in our abilities to reach every youth and family that needs our help in the states we serve.”
In addition, Raise the Future was recognized as one of our 2023 Community Partner Award recipients, receiving the Empowerment award for Colorado. These winners are nominated by community members and voted on by Sunflower Bank employees.
“We are so delighted to work with Marc and Sunflower Bank,” said Hannah Ronan-Daniell, Director of Major Gifts at Raise the Future. “He’s an incredible advocate for our work. It’s so personal to him, and he sings our praises.” When reflecting on the bank partnership Hannah added, “Valuable connections with partners like Sunflower Bank make an enormous difference in our abilities to reach every youth and family that needs our help in the states we serve.”
We're proud to continue supporting the organizations that make a positive impact on our employees and the communities across our footprint. Check out Raise the Future's website for more information about their services and how to support them.