Bank employees spend 9/11 serving community

DES MOINES, Iowa — At the Blank Park Zoo a crew of 45 volunteers came out to serve. A group of the volunteers from First Interstate Bank locations across the metro spent the afternoon lending a hand. Some of the volunteers spent the afternoon working on the Zoo’s Night Eyes decorations, while others worked on putting together park benches.

“Our community bankers are giving back to our communities not just financially, but with time and volunteerism,”  said Brad Botos, First Interstate Bank Market President. “We take a half-day every year and volunteering number of different profits throughout the metro.”

For all the volunteers there are memories of this day, depending on their age.

“Honestly, I remember I was in fifth grade when that happened so it was just kind of one of those things where we were watching TV all day and it was kind of a surreal,” said Ashley Johnson, who works at the First Bank in Altoona.

“I didn’t really understand what was going on,” said Shannon Kopecky, who works at First Interstate in Perry. “I just saw something going towards the building, you know over and over and over again that’s kind of all I remember.”

“I was working at a bank with another coworker and heard it on the radio,” said Botos, who called the event a sad day for America.

Blank Park Zoo said this group of 45 is one of the larger groups of volunteers to come to Blank Park Zoo. The zoo welcomes volunteers who want to lend a hand.

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