2022 Lloyd Levin Difference Maker Organization Award Winner: U.S. Bank

Every year SecureFutures honors our founder, Lloyd Levin, by recognizing one individual volunteer and one partner organization for their contribution to our mission of teen financial empowerment. This year we are thrilled to celebrate U.S Bank as our 2022 Lloyd Levin Difference Maker Organization.

For 10 years, U.S. Bank has been a dedicated supporter of the SecureFutures’ mission, through both the U.S. Bank Foundation and corporate sponsorship of our annual Investment Conference.

This year U.S. Bank became the premier sponsor of the Investment Conference and has generously committed to premier sponsorship in 2023. Over the years, many U.S. Bank associates have volunteered for SecureFutures logging over 350 hours of their time to empower teens through education and mentorship. Volunteers include long term supporters Nina V.A. Johnson, SVP – WI Branch Banking and David Frieder, SVP – General Manager, Commercial Payments.

Nina is a current member of the SecureFutures Advisory Council and understands all too well her organization’s partnership with SecureFutures as she was the first ever volunteer and one of the first board members, serving for nine years. She recalls the early days sitting around a table with fellow board members trying to think of what SecureFutures was going to look like in the future. “And now we’re here,” Nina smiled. “From a partnership standpoint, to know that U.S. Bank has been giving since 2012 is a wonderful accomplishment. Supporting SecureFutures, an organization that’s continuing to grow and evolve to support the communities that we care about, is something to be proud of.”

U.S. Bank’s commitment to giving back to the community is ingrained in its culture through its unified giving and engagement program, Community Possible, which addresses racial and economic inequities by supporting causes that create stable jobs, better homes, and vibrant communities.

David, also a current member of the SecureFutures Advisory Council who served on the board for six years, including as Chairman, explained that U.S. Bank is committed to engaging with communities to improve financial literacy, not just in Wisconsin, but throughout the United States. “Financial literacy is at the core of what we do, and I think that it is an obligation of a bank to use its resources, whether they be financial, time, or talent, to help raise awareness and understanding.”

“It takes a village,” said Nina. “And there’s a lot of people in the village that want to see individuals succeed. As a financial institution, we must be very cognizant of providing resources to the communities that we serve and to become an advocate for whatever’s needed in the community.”

According to David, U.S. Bank’s continual partnership with SecureFutures is due in part to its powerful outcomes. “The statistics speak for themselves. It’s always easier to continue to support something that’s backed up by facts and data and SecureFutures does a tremendous job of reporting on their outcomes and those outcomes are consistently strong.”

Nina and David both have similar hopes for SecureFutures going forward. “I really want to see Lloyd’s wish of making SecureFutures a household name beyond Wisconsin come true,” said Nina. David agrees, “Long-term, I’d like to know that SecureFutures has enough resources to be everywhere that is needed. We want as many teenagers and high school students as possible to engage with SecureFutures.”

Thank you, U.S. Bank, for your long-term partnership and deep investment in financially capable teens and thriving communities!