Merrillville, Ind.-based Centier Bank recently donated $150,000 to Potawatomi Zoo — the largest multi-year scholarship in the zoo’s history. 
The donation covers the annual cost of the maintenance for the zoo’s train. The train, which rides around the Potawatomi Zoo’s 23-acre campus, has been renamed the Centier Bank Train.
“Community banking is all about neighbors serving neighbors, and this sponsorship is a prime example of just that,” said Centier Bank Regional Sales Manager Amber Pulford. “Centier Bank supports local organizations, businesses, and causes, which benefits everyone who lives and works in our community. The zoo is such an important place, and I am proud to be part of two organizations that are so devoted to South Bend.”
Margie Anella, director of development of the Potawatomi Zoological Society, said the donation will especially assist in maintaining the train. “The train is a one-third scale replica of a C.P. Huntington Locomotive, and is the zoo’s most popular attraction,” Anella noted. “Centier’s investment in this amenity is a sign of the zoo’s heightened profile and value in the region, as well as Centier’s commitment to the community.”