First Bank & Trust Receives Leadership Award
The Evanston Arts Council’s Arts & Business Committee has named First Bank & Trust the recipient of its 2010 Leadership Award. The annual award honors an Evanston-based business that has shown extraordinary support for the arts in Evanston, either financially or through the provision of in-kind services, or both. The award will be presented at the annual Mayor’s State of the City luncheon on Friday, February 25.
“We are so happy to be honoring First Bank. In 2010 alone, they supported over 15 local arts organizations by sponsoring concerts and events, featuring cultural photos in their windows, advertising in benefit program books, and donating in-kind services. They truly are involved in the Evanston community,” explains Penny Rotheiser, Chair of the Arts & Business Committee.
Founded in 1995 by Howard Kain, Jay Lytle and Robert Yohanan, First Bank & Trust takes great pride in its sense of community. “First Bank & Trust is extremely pleased to be receiving this Leadership Award. We have always felt that the arts are an important part of the community’s culture. As a result, we have been a strong supporter of the arts since we formed the bank over 15 years ago,” says Howard Kain, Managing Director of First Bank & Trust.
In keeping with the tradition of having a local artist create the award, this year’s award is being designed by Nancy Sickbert-Wheeler, a metalsmith/jewelry designer who teaches at the Evanston Art Center and is a long-time Evanston resident.
Previous Leadership Award winners include Whole Foods Evanston, Romano Bros. & Co., and Jim Nash for Farnsworth-Hill, Inc.
The Arts & Business Committee consists of local arts organizations and business leaders who joined together to increase the awareness and support of the arts in Evanston and to use the arts to bring more business into the city. The committee is co-chaired by arts advocate Rotheiser, and Paul Giddings, co-owner of FolkWorks Gallery.
The Mayor’s State of the City Luncheon is an annual event sponsored by the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. The event takes place from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, February 25 at the Hilton Orrington, 1710 Orrington Ave., Evanston. For ticket information, call the Evanston Chamber of Commerce at 847-328-1500.