IRSTBANK MORTGAGE DONATES $9,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO CHATTANOOGA FAMILIES
FirstBank mortgage bankers Chris Shoemake and Gabe Whitmer have awarded $9,000 in scholarships to Chattanooga-area families as part of FirstBank’s 2020 Next Generation Mortgage Scholarship program.
In total, 160 families across Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee received $1,000 scholarships for a total of $160,000 awarded as part of the Next Generation Scholarship this year.
All FirstBank Mortgage customers who closed a mortgage loan in 2020 were automatically entered in a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship for a child, stepchild, adopted child or foster child living at home. This year’s recipients were selected by local FirstBank mortgage bankers who drew one name for every 50 loans they closed.
“Through the Next Generation Mortgage Scholarship program, we are able to provide financial support to the families of students looking to take that next step in their education,” said Wib Evans, president of FirstBank Ventures, which includes FirstBank Mortgage. “We have always been committed to serving our community and helping others meet their financial and educational goals, and this scholarship is a crucial part of investing in our community’s future leaders.”
The 2020 Chattanooga-area winners are Jeremy Jones, Robert Berghel, Christopher Gallups, Joshua Carroll, Daniel Wykoff, Jordan Greek, Ronnetta Hall, Matthew Forbes and Lindsay Beckler.
“We recognize that 2020 has been a difficult year for students as they made the transition to virtual learning and lost valuable time in the classroom,” said Lee Townsend, director of Retail Mortgage Lending at FirstBank Mortgage. “At FirstBank, we’re dedicated to taking our work in the community beyond financial services to prioritize investing in education for future generations, and we want to continue to help students meet their educational goals.
“Vice Chairman Jim Ayers built FirstBank upon the idea of helping people get to a better place, and we’re proud of the impact the Next Generation Mortgage Scholarship program has had on members of our community, especially this year,” he said.
This year’s scholarship program is open to qualifying FirstBank Mortgage customers in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee who close a mortgage between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31. Those customers will be entered into the following year’s drawing.