Hazel Farmer, senior vice president and consumer education director at Bank of Lancaster, Kilmarnock, recently received statewide recognition from the Virginia Association of Community Banks (VACB).
Farmer was named a finalist in its Community Banker of the Year Celebration. The award recognizes bankers for their community involvement and volunteerism, as well as their leadership by example within the bank. Nominees also were evaluated based on their community bank advocacy and their contributions to the vitality of their bank.
Five finalists were selected from a group of statewide nominees. A panel of judges, independent of bankers on the VACB board, was created to review the nominations and select the winners.
“It is our privilege to recognize just a few of the many bankers, like Hazel, who are doing great work in their communities and on the job as well,” said VACB president and chief executive officer Steve Yeakel. “In addition to her many contributions to the success of Bank of Lancaster, she has also invested her time and effort with a considerable list of local organizations, helping to improve the lives of the citizens and families in the area.”
VACB Chairman Mike Ewing explained the impetus for creating the awards. “As we completed work on the VACB Strategic Plan developed last year, one outcome was a commitment to do more to identify and celebrate the people who make community banking what it is – an invaluable element of the fabric of the communities they serve.
“We heard story after story of people going above and beyond the call, to help educate, to guide, to comfort their fellow citizens, to make life better, for a single customer or a whole community,” he continued. “So our board decided to create two awards—one for a veteran community banker and another for a young banker—a ‘rising star.’
“We’re pleased for Hazel, her family and her team at Bank of Lancaster, that her colleagues across the Commonwealth are able to express our appreciation for her service in this way,” said Ewing.
