First Reliance Financial institution’s founder and CEO Rick Saunders together with his spouse, Tiffany, and three kids

To assist ease the method, First Reliance Financial institution affords help for associates who welcome a foster or adopted youngster into their household.

By Rachel Hatcher

The street for {couples} and households seeking to undertake is suffering from hurdles. Possibly they’re nonetheless saving as much as accommodate the prices, or their employer isn’t prepared to supply the time without work mandatory for a kid to regulate to their new residence.

First Reliance Financial institution, a $925 million-asset neighborhood financial institution in Florence, S.C., has made strides to interrupt down these obstacles.

In keeping with the nationwide nonprofit Dave Thomas Basis for Adoption, funds are a priority for 54% of adults contemplating adoption from foster care and 76% for worldwide adoption. To ease issues like this for his or her workers, First Reliance Financial institution established its Adoption Help Coverage, which supplies monetary reimbursement for adopting households.

The neighborhood financial institution grants program individuals as much as $14,500, which might go in direction of adoption bills akin to private and non-private adoption company charges, authorized charges, medical and journey bills, and different related prices. As well as, FRB supplies eight weeks of paid depart. If an worker is new to adoption, founder and CEO Rick Saunders and his spouse, Tiffany, make themselves accessible to supply recommendation.

A private connection

Saunders is a powerful advocate for adoption, having personally skilled the method. After Tiffany skilled three miscarriages, she and Saunders determined to undertake a toddler. Nevertheless, after they’d begun the method of adopting slightly lady in 2003, they found Tiffany was pregnant. Regardless of that, Saunders and his spouse selected to undergo with the adoption.

“We simply have been already in love together with her,” says Saunders. “We already had her photos.” Their daughter turned the namesake for the neighborhood financial institution’s further monetary adoption useful resource, Reagan’s Promise Fund, which is funded by worker contributions and income from branded product gross sales.

Saunders takes pleasure in First Reliance Financial institution’s adoption advantages. “Anytime the corporate will help the individuals who work for them chase their passions, their love for all times and household and their work—I simply assume it creates a tradition and an surroundings the place folks love being there, and so they’re not simply chasing the greenback.”

As a testomony to the neighborhood financial institution’s dedication, the Dave Thomas Basis for Adoption not too long ago acknowledged First Reliance Financial institution in its 100 Finest Adoption-Pleasant Workplaces.

Encouraging neighborhood

Adoption could be a troublesome journey, nevertheless it proved life-changing for Saunders’ household. When he and his spouse introduced Reagan residence, she struggled with well being points introduced on by mistreatment inside the system. But in a short while, they noticed an enormous change in her. “You may see the adjustments mentally, emotionally and bodily in her simply in a number of weeks,” Saunders says, “and it was a totally new life for her.”

Even with medical doctors’ predictions that Reagan would battle with reminiscence retention, she is now 20 years outdated and a Dean’s Checklist pupil at her faculty. Saunders and his spouse later went on to undertake one other daughter, 14-year-old Riley.

“I do assume our individuals are actually extremely engaged, and a whole lot of that has to do with packages like this that say, ‘My employer cares sufficient about household and in regards to the individuals who work right here that that is the form of place I wish to work.”
—Rick Saunders, First Reliance Financial institution

Saunders hopes the neighborhood financial institution’s program will encourage workers to pursue adoption and make a distinction in a toddler’s life. He says one to 2 financial institution associates make the most of the adoption advantages yearly, however many others admire the sentiment and assist that this system affords.

“My First Reliance household supplies me the flexibleness to take care of my household and the youngsters I take into my care,” says one worker who fosters and adopts. “Being a working mom is a problem, however at First Reliance, I actually really feel revered for what my husband and I attempt to do for these kids.”

Saunders additionally believes that accommodating adopting households must be the norm. He says, “I do assume our individuals are actually extremely engaged, and a whole lot of that has to do with packages like this that say, ‘My employer cares sufficient about household and in regards to the individuals who work right here that that is the form of place I wish to work.’”

However his reasoning for this system goes past simply the optimistic impact it has on his financial institution. “Anyone who will help household, be part of that and construct their very own households,” he says, “I believe it’s factor for our world, and it’s factor for our nation.”

Rachel Hatcher is assistant editor of Unbiased Banker.