By Thomas J. Shara

All of our branches have a poster listing Lakeland Bank’s Core Values, and one of them is to give back to our communities. We take our core values seriously and believe they are more than words on a poster. Lakeland Bank and its employees regularly give back to the communities we serve…it is a part of our corporate mission and culture.

Recently, we sponsored the 30th Annual Sussex County Golf Classic at Newton Country Club in Newton, N.J. We were there when this event got its modest start, supporting a single charity. Now this outing raises much-needed funds for over a dozen Sussex County charities. We’ve been able to contribute almost $650,000 for those who need it most, and I am proud to acknowledge that the success of this annual event is due impart to the Lakeland Bank colleagues who have worked many long hours at these outings to help support our local community.

We continue our tradition of caring with the Lakeland Bank’s 39th Annual Scholarship Golf Outing, scheduled for September 13th at Crystal Springs & Wild Turkey Golf Resort in Hamburg. This event also has grown and over the years, we have been able to provide over $1 million in scholarships to our local students. Last year alone, we raised more than $75,000 in scholarships for college-bound seniors from 39 local public and private high schools in the communities we serve.

A strong commitment from the local business community helps make this scholarship fund possible. We now have golfers playing on two 18-hole courses while Lakeland Bank colleagues organize and staff the tournaments. If you’d like to participate as a golfer or a sponsor, we’d enjoy having you there. Please call Jeff Buonforte at 973-208-6214 to find out more. Your involvement will be recognized and appreciated by those that benefit from your generosity.

We enjoy making a difference and we hope to see you at one of our community service events in the future.