Making Change
A community giving initiative from MainStreet Bank
Giving back to our communities one team member at a time.
At MainStreet Bank, we put corporate giving in our employees’ hands, empowering them to follow their hearts and give where they live.
How the program works
Every one of MainStreet Bank’s full-time team members can direct $1,000 each year in community giving. The funds can go to local organizations, individuals, or families. Team members have the option to “go it alone” or band together with their colleagues to create a larger donation, and both approaches have been very popular. Once the donation is approved, the team members present it in person, creating a joyous moment of celebration and connection to the communities we are proud to serve.
Featured story
Centreville Elementary School
At Centreville Elementary School in Fairfax County, the principal’s fund is a lifeline for needy students. Principal Josh Douds uses the fund to ensure that no child will miss out on fun, such as field trips and class parties. In June 2023, a Making Change contribution arrived just as cash was running low.
“This school binds people together,” said MainStreet Bank’s Trish Smith. “It’s been at the center of our family’s life for so long.” The donation to her children’s school was one of the first Making Change contributions and it set off a wave of donations to other local schools.
Amount donated so far
$178000
Spotlight stories
St. Timothy’s Catholic School
At St. Timothy’s Catholic School in Chantilly, science, technology, engineering and mathematics education is getting a boost with a Making Change donation.
Arts for All Loudoun
How four employees joined together and used their Making Change donations to support local actors and artists with disabilities through Arts for All Loudoun.
Paws of Honor
How an employee’s mission to rescue one dog led to late-life care for many more.
Safe Space NOVA
How one employee is using Making Change to help LGBTQ+ teens get the support they need through Safe Space NOVA.
Recent donations
C.W. Shipley Elementary School
It’s been five years since Shawn Barnhouse has had any children enrolled at C.W. Shipley Elementary School in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. But the school’s impact on her family sticks with her.
“It was just kind of a family atmosphere, you know. The principal knew my kids’ names. Everyone just seemed to care,” said Shawn, MainStreet Bank Senior Vice President and Controller. “I loved the staff, so caring and always welcoming.”
English Empowerment Center
The English Empowerment Center—formerly known as the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia—is near and dear to Betty Gillen, a business banking portfolio manager who was once a volunteer tutor for the organization. She developed an appreciation of the courage and determination newcomers bring to the American experience while teaching immigrants who needed to build their English language skills.
“People come to this country with hardly anything,” Betty explained, noting that immigrants turn to organizations like the English Empowerment Center to help them get settled. “I wanted to be part of providing that help. It’s something I feel drawn to, because I have been blessed, and I can offer that blessing to others.”
Fairfax CASA
Talk about a happy coincidence! Four MainStreet Bank employees in two locations separately came up with the idea of giving their Making Change dollars to the same organization. They teamed up in August 2023 to give $4,000 to Fairfax CASA, which trains volunteers to advocate for children who have experienced abuse or neglect at home.
CASA is short for Court Appointed Special Advocates. Fairfax CASA fights for the right of children to have a safe, loving, and permanent home. Its clients are kids in the foster care system who need someone to speak up for them. The goal is to make sure that their safety and well-being come first as custody is determined in court.
Hearts and Hands Reaching Out
$1,000 can do a lot for a small organization. That’s why Vice President and Portfolio Manager Shannon Gibbs decided to donate to Hearts and Hands Reaching Out, a small organization in her community in Chantilly, Virginia that helps disadvantaged teens with things like sports equipment, graduation celebrations, and supplies for college.
“It’s small but it’s making a difference in somebody’s life,” explained Jan Gardill, the organization’s treasurer and one of its founders.
Candido S.
Candido S., 38, had an unexpected stroke in January 2023. He was in the hospital for about two weeks and has been working on recovery ever since.
Lina Rios, an Account Administrator in the Headquarters branch of MainStreet Bank, seized the opportunity to help her brother with a donation from MainStreet Bank’s Making Change program.
