By Kallee Feuz
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A Springville house received a makeover this week—one of 31 homes across Utah that got a fresh coat of paint and a landscaping lift during Zions Bank’s 29th annual Paint-a-Thon service project.
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More than 150 local bank employees and their family members rolled up their sleeves to transform the Springville home of David and Debra Bethers with new paint, yard care and repairs to the outside of the house. David Bethers, 61, has quadriplegia, making home maintenance and yard work particularly difficult for the couple.
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Along with beautifying neighborhoods, the Paint-a-Thon project aims to help elderly, disabled and veteran home owners take pride in their homes and maintain their independence. Throughout the week, more than 3,000 Zions Bank employees and their families are volunteering to clean, scrape and paint 40 homes in Utah and Idaho.
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In addition to painting, Zions employees provide yard clean-up, pruning, mowing, planting and minor repairs as needed by homeowners. The cost for all paint and supplies is contributed by Zions Bank.
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The average age of this year’s homeowner is 72, with an average yearly income of $21,800. Projects completed during the annual week-long event were selected with the assistance of nominations from the public, state housing agencies, community organizations and local churches.
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Zions Bank is committed to helping senior citizens remain in their homes as long as possible, maintaining their independence, dignity and health. More than 90 percent of people over age 65 prefer to stay in their homes as they get older, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute. And while “aging in place” has become increasingly possible thanks to health and technology advances, home maintenance and repairs remain challenges for seniors seeking to live independently
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“As a community bank, the Paint-a-Thon service project embodies our dedication to the communities we serve, said Zions employee and Paint-a-Thon team captain Chad Bishoff said. “We look forward to this service project every year and find enormous satisfaction in transforming the homes and yards of our neighbors in need.”
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Launched in 1991, Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon began as a volunteer project for a dozen homes along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Over the past 29 years, Zions Bank employees have set aside summer pastimes for a week each year—volunteering in the evenings after work and on Saturday—to paint 1,181 homes throughout Idaho and Utah. Not counting the dollar value of volunteer hours through the years, the bank has donated more than $1.3 million toward beautifying homes in the two states.
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