Tri Counties Bank, a leading community bank in California, last week kicked off its 50th Anniversary Celebration with the launch of a year-long fundraising campaign to support the California Community Colleges Student Ambassador Program.

In a press event at Sacramento City College on March 13, the bank launched the campaign with a $50,000 contribution and announced it will hold a variety of fundraising events and volunteer activities in partnership with the Foundation for California Community Colleges, or FoundationCCC, which oversees the program.

The Student Ambassador Program trains and empowers students as on-campus leaders in peer-to-peer outreach.

Ambassadors connect fellow students to food, housing, and other basic needs resources that ease barriers to education (such as CalFresh and Crisis Text Line), provide hands-on benefit application assistance, and reduce the stigma around getting help.

Through the partnership, Tri Counties Bank employees in California will be connected directly with local student ambassadors across the California Community College system.

“We chose FoundationCCC as a partner for our 50th Anniversary campaign because of the positive impact the California Community Colleges and the Student Ambassador Program have on the communities we serve throughout the state,” said Rick Smith, president and CEO of Tri Counties Bank. “Tri Counties Bank believes in people, first and foremost, and we plan to continue that mission over the next fifty years.”

The partnership comes at a critical time. A 2023 survey found that two-thirds of California community college students struggle with food or housing insecurity.

Nearly half of California community college students are unsure of where their next meal will come from, and roughly one in four face homelessness.

Each ambassador can reach approximately 1,000 students, providing crucial support to address these challenges and ease their pathway towards college and career success.

“As a single parent who had to balance education with childcare responsibilities, I’ve seen first-hand how access to food and housing resources can transform lives,” said Yuriko Curiel, Student Ambassador Program coordinator for the FoundationCCC.

Once a part of the program herself, Curiel now trains future student ambassadors.

Tri Counties Bank’s year-long 50th Anniversary initiative will involve multiple fundraising efforts, including encouraging donations through the Bank’s Mobile and Online Banking, and a new checking account that will benefit the FoundationCCC.

Additionally, as part of the Bank’s mission to improve the financial success of its communities, Tri Counties Bank has committed to providing financial education training to student ambassadors and community college students, and will be hosting a needs drive in all bank branches, to be launched this summer to help community college students throughout the academic year.

Tri Counties Bank’s 50th Anniversary Campaign will celebrate its past, present, and future with a focus on its customers, shareholders, communities and employees.

As part of the campaign, the Bank encourages current and former customers to submit their favorite Tri Counties Bank moments and find a customer appreciation event taking place near them at https://www.tcbk.com/50th-anniversary.

To learn more about Tri Counties Bank’s 50th Anniversary and its groundbreaking partnership with FoundationCCC, visit https://www.tcbk.com/50th-anniversary.