Since Community National Bank’s (CNB) grand opening in June 2002, Susan Farb Public Relations counseled the bank to embody its name, “Community.” In fact, the firm created the theme of the bank’s grand opening, securing nine integral leaders of the Bellaire community — from the Bellaire Police Department to the Bellaire High School Belles, Boy Scouts to City Hall. A representative from each entity held up a letter at the grand opening to spell out the word, C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y.

Since then Susan Farb Public Relations has orchestrated the bank’s community service programs, beginning with partnering with the Bellaire Police Department on what has become an annual Free Child ID Kit Day. Soon after, the bank’s commitment to community continued with partnerships with the Bellaire Fire Department, civic groups, schools and organizations to sponsor programs that further promote the safety and well-being of children, families and the overall community. Citizens have responded to the programs very favorably in terms of their attendance, support and goodwill generated in the schools and the community overall.

Since August 2002, the bank has joined forces with the Bellaire Police Department to kick off National Night Out by administering free child identification (ID) kits to local families. The Bellaire P.D.’s community outreach officer will take children’s’ fingerprints and Polaroid photos of them.  For the seven of the past eight years the bank has collaborated with Bellaire Lions Club and McGruff the Crime Dog on the bank’s Free Child ID Kit Day. In addition to distributing free ID kits to participants, the bank gives each child a gift bag with a banking coloring book.  The program has been so well received that the bank now distributes free Child ID kits year-round on request. Susan Farb Public Relations handles the media relations for the event, which this year included in-studio television interviews on KPRC-TV Ch. 2 and FOX 26 morning news, a Univision Ch. 45 news story, announcements on KPRC-TV, KTRK-TV and KHOU-TV morning news, news articles in local weekly newspapers, listings on family-oriented and missing children websites and blogs as well as posting an SEO news release..

For the past seven consecutive years, CNB has co-sponsored the National Fire Prevention Week poster contest in Bellaire with the Bellaire Fire Department and Greater Southwest Chamber of Commerce. The program has helped teachers disseminate fire safety messages to thousands of Bellaire-area elementary school students and their families this year. Susan Farb Public Relations organizes the bank’s free celebration for the poster contest winners and runners up from Kindergarten through fifth grade from the schools, as well as their parents and siblings. The event includes an educational presentation by the Bellaire Fire Marshal, an appearance by Sparky the Fire Dog and the display of a Bellaire Fire Truck. CNB rewards all runners up and first-place winners with honorable mention and blue ribbons while the best overall winner received a plaque from the Chamber. CNB displays the children’s Fire Prevention posters in its lobby for two weeks as a community service and a source of pride for the young artists on their fire safety mission.

Another well-received community event that is free to the public is CNB’s “The Great Bellaire Paper Shred,” which is growing at a significant pace every year. A project of Community National Bank, Iron Mountain® Secure Shredding and the Bellaire Police Department, it provides the opportunity for local citizens to receive free document shredding services to help minimize their risk of becoming victims of identity theft. Individuals could bring up to 100 pounds of paper to feed into Iron Mountain’s mobile shredding unit. More than 3,000 pounds of documents were collected in three hours at the first event; 4,500 pounds the second year and close to 9,000 pounds the third year.  In 2009, Susan Farb PR recommended moving the date of the event to be the first Saturday after April 15th Tax Day to generate greater publicity opportunities. With increased media coverage (television interviews and announcements, newspaper articles and SEO optimized news releases), the Great Bellaire Paper Shred truly lived up to its name. Two Iron Mountain shredding units were needed (capacity is 15,000 pounds of paper per unit) for the collection of 27,000 pounds of paper in three hours.