Editor’s Note: BankBeat intern Rhea Krumpelman highlighted the community work of seven banks throughout our coverage area for our October magazine. This is the second in the seven-part series, which will run throughout this month on BankBeat.biz.
In 1996, Phelps County, Mo., had some of the highest child abuse rates in the state. Following a discussion among concerned local leaders, Phelps County Bank’s then-CEO Emma Lou Brent developed a plan to create awareness and raise funds for child abuse prevention programs. The vision: “Kids will help kids by selling lemonade.”
Today, that plan — Phelps County Bank’s Take-a-Stand against Child Abuse — is carried out by PCB’s employee-owners and hundreds of community volunteers.
One weekend in July, Pepsi Bottling of Rolla, Mo., pulls a semi-truck into the Phelps County Bank drive-thru. Pallets of lemonade nearly 6-feet tall are unloaded. PCB’s team compiles supplies for each lemonade stand: Two free T-shirts, posters, a money bucket, and child abuse prevention flyers to share with customers. Lemonade stands range from families setting up in their yards to businesses selling lemonade in their facilities. Throughout the weekend, bankers make the rounds to restock supplies and pick up the money collected.
Prior to the Take-a-Stand weekend, PCB chooses the annual theme; 2024’s was carnival-inspired “Step right up for kids!” Given the theme, hundreds of area elementary students created posters and submitted them to PCB. After consideration, one child was named the official artist of the year and their design became the Take-a-Stand logo. T-shirts sporting this design helped spread awareness for the mission.
Awareness is “as important or more important than the money,” stated Linda Goff, vice president of marketing at Rolla-based PCB. “Back when Phelps County Bank decided to make this our mission, we could’ve just written one big check a year. But, one big check would not increase awareness about the problem in our community and increase awareness for the organizations that receive the money and the good work they do.”
The bank partners with area businesses to make Take-a-Stand possible. Local restaurants host “dining to donate” days by directing a percentage of their proceeds to the program. “There are so many sponsors on the back end that really pony up a good amount of their revenue to make sure this goes off without a hitch,” said Chris Wilkins, PCB marketing officer. “They’re the backbone of the program.”
One hundred percent of Take-a-Stand funds goes to programs that benefit children and families. These organizations are detailed on PCB’s website, which serves as a useful source for anyone who wonders, “Where does this money really go?” It takes some savvy on PCB’s part to ensure transparency about the end goal of the funds, given charity-related fraud concerns. The child abuse prevention organizations “have to submit receipts and write a pretty robust grant proposal to receive those funds,” Wilkins said.
Many of these organizations will operate larger lemonade stands, placed strategically in Rolla’s high traffic locations. “If someone has a question about Take-a-Stand and what it’s about, we want those stands to have a lot of knowledge about the program,” Goff said. “And no one has more knowledge than the organizations that receive the funds.”
As its 30th year approaches in 2025, Phelps County Bank’s Take-a-Stand against Child Abuse looks to reach a total of $1 million raised. With these funds, children in foster care are given memory boxes to keep their possessions safe during frequent moves; kids sleeping on the floor receive beds built by volunteers; students receive food packages for weekend meals; and abused children in the court system receive counseling and support.