Every story with a happy ending begins with the phrase, "once upon a time," and so the tale of the Iowa State Bank Community Crusaders began over 20 years ago.

Once Upon a Time...

Sometime prior to 2003, the employees of Iowa State Bank decided to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event. "We're not quite sure when the ISB Pink Ribbon Crusaders started, but we know that the bank had a team for the first Kossuth county event, and that legacy continued for at least 15 years," remarked current ISB Community Crusaders co-chair Brianna Marso. In the years that followed, the group of employee volunteers expanded to Palo Alto county through the bank's office in Ruthven.

Employees held a variety of fundraisers ranging from bake sales to parking space sales for employees and more, such as a monthly denim day. The group even hosted a vendor fair in the main bank lobby and basement called the "Shop for a Cure" for several years. The ISB Pink Ribbon Crusaders raised over $68,000 for the Relay event over the years and was the longest-running team in Kossuth county.

Plot Twist!

Just like all good stories have a plot twist, the story of our employee charity evolved. While the group is comprised of employees who raise the funds and choose the non-profit organizations that receive them, the group decided in late 2017 that it was time to make a change. As other human services charities tugged at the heartstrings of employee volunteers, the group expanded their generous mission, and re-named their employee-drive charity the ISB Community Crusaders.

The Crusaders focus on human services charities that make an impact in our local area. Since 2018, the Crusaders have donated nearly $25,000 to local charities that impact people. So far in 2024, the Crusaders have donated $2,000 to the Spencer Chamber of Commerce Foundation for Flood Relief. The group's t-shirts proudly proclaim that they are "regular people doing super things."

The ISB Community Crusaders continue to write their story through fundraising and the sharing of their efforts to non-profit human services organizations that impact our friends and neighbors.