Washington State Bank donates $5,000 to Richland child care center

RICHLAND – Washington State Bank has donated $5,000 to the Richland Area Child Care Organization (RACCO).

Representatives from the bank presented a giant check to the child care center on Feb. 11. LaNelle Kopsieker, manager of Washington State Bank’s Fairfield branch, said the bank recognizes that child care is desperately needed in the region, and saw that the Jerry B. Robinson Child Care Center in Richland was a deserving entity.

“We are community involved, and we like to help out as much as possible,” Kopsieker said. “We say in our marketing that we invest in others as they invest in us.”

Kara Booth, marketing director at Washington State Bank, said that even though Washington State Bank does not have a branch in Richland, the company’s customers are still greatly impacted by the lack of child care.

“This is in close proximity to our Fairfield location, and will impact that community as well,” Booth said. “Child care is lacking in many of our communities. We are excited to be able to help something that will benefit not just Richland but also Jefferson and Washington counties as well.”

Booth said the bank has a committee that discusses donation requests.

“Like all financial institutions, we receive donation requests every month,” she said. “We look for ways that [the donation] will benefit the community.”

Washington State Bank was founded in 1932. It’s undergone major expansions in the last decade, opening branches in Columbus Junction and Fairfield in 2015, and most recently a branch in Pella in 2023. Booth said the Washington branch has about 20 employees, and Kopsieker said the Fairfield branch has four employees. There are about 50 employees in the four branches combined.

Miranda VanAntwerp, director of the child care center, said things have been going well ever since the center officially opened its doors on Jan. 2, after a soft opening in December. She said the center has spots available in all four of its rooms, which includes a room for infants up to 24 months, a toddler room, a preschool room, and a school-age room that provides before- and after-school care.

“We are in the process of building our summer programming for all children,” VanAntwerp said. “At this time, we do not have any employee openings, but I do anticipate a need for additional employees soon.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com