Community Banker

The August 27th non-profit news. August 27, 2026 Heartland Hope Mission's West Omaha location off West Center Road & Industrial Road reopened this week with expanded services including a disaster response center and baby boutique. Thanks to a new partnership with Metropolitan Community College, The Bay is providing a manufacturing-focused gap-year program designed to help Omaha-area young adults build technical skills, earn industry-recognized credentials and explore pathways into skilled employment or continued education. The Bay's Gap Year model is designed to help young adults build confidence, professional skills and a clearer sense of direction. The Omaha manufacturing cohort expands that model by pairing career and life planning with technical training and direct exposure to local employers. The 16-week program will run from August 31 through December 21, and is open to young adults ages 18-24. Wells Fargo Foundation this month awarded two grants which will benefit Metropolitan Community College. First, a $1 million grant will expand access to construction education, increase student scholarships and strengthen affordable housing partnerships with MCC. A second, $250,000 grant to HomeWoven, a nonprofit focused on housing stability, will support the construction of affordable homes in South Omaha while creating an expanded internship program with MCC, enabling students to learn on the job through hands-on housing development experience. Before passing the mayor's 2027 budget, the Omaha City Council unanimously voted to reallocate $40,000 from nonprofit One Omaha, which aims to empower people where they live with education, training and engagement to develop thriving neighborhoods, to Food Bank For The Heartland. Lift Up Sarpy County's annual fundraiser, Shining Stars, is taking place September 17 at Peter Fink American Muscle Car Museum. Google and First Interstate Bank will be honored as Shining Stars recipients this year. Pottawattamie Arts, Culture, and Entertainment (PACE), a non-profit dedicated to providing a sustainable, highly active art community, hosts its fundraiser event on Friday, August 28. PACE Interactive 2026: The Golden Age of Hollywood will be held at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center in Council Bluffs. Guests will see theater, symphony, ballet performances and indulge in cuisine by Kitchen Council culinary artists.

OriginPoint hires Michelle Oddo as Colorado mortgage branch manager. First Interstate names Michelle Hanley director of enterprise risk management. In brief: * First Interstate names Michelle Hanley enterprise risk director * Hanley to oversee corporate, model, operational, third-party risk * Hanley has nearly 20 years of financial services experience * Hanley previously executive vice president at FirstBank Hanley will oversee the bank's corporate risk, model risk, operational risk and third-party risk management programs. She has nearly 20 years of experience in financial services, including work in regulatory compliance and corporate governance. She most recently served as executive vice president of enterprise risk management, third-party risk management and legal at FirstBank, where she led risk management and oversight programs. Hanley graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business, the Colorado Bankers Association's Bank Advocacy Program and Pacific Coast Banking School. She holds the certified enterprise risk professional designation from the American Bankers Association. First Interstate is headquartered in Billings, Montana, and operates nearly 300 offices across 10 states, including Colorado. The company provides banking and wealth management services.

$30M investment to support Oregon sawmill expansion project. * U.S. Department of Agriculture * 3 hrs ago * 0 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Oregon State Director Jim Carmack today announced that Clatskanie Scion LLC will receive $30 million to finance a new sawmill. Clatskanie Scion LLC will use the funding to expand operations for Myers Woodline to manufacture industrial lumber products and bolster the region's timber industry. This project includes construction to permanent financing for a new sawmill and installation of related equipment and is expected to create at least 35 jobs. "Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the Trump Administration is increasing domestic timber production and unleashing America's affordable and reliable energy sources," said Carmack. "This project is a win for job creation, rural prosperity and timber production in Oregon. It helps turn would-be excess forest fuel into valuable products while supporting local businesses." "Oregon's working forests depend on a strong wood products industry and investments like this one keep that relationship productive," U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region Regional Forester Jacque Buchanan said. "Turning excess forest fuels into marketable timber supports active management, reduces wildfire risk, and sustains the rural communities that have always been part of how we care for these lands." "The ultimate goal of USDA Rural Development's business programs is to support rural job growth and economic opportunity," said Mandie Cole, Business Programs Director for USDA Rural Development in Oregon. "This project is an example of that, and we're excited to witness the economic benefits that will play out over the long-term." This project is funded through USDA's Timber Production and Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP) and Business & Industry Guaranteed Loan Program in partnership with lender First Interstate Bank. TPEP is made possible by a partnership between the USDA Rural Development and the U.S. Forest Service and ensures sawmills and other wood processing facilities have the necessary funding to establish, reopen, expand, or improve their operations. The program also helps address the wildfire crisis by investing in local sawmills that clear out dangerous fuel in its forestlands, helping to remove the most immediate threats to communities, critical infrastructure, and natural resources. Since its inception, USDA has invested $165.2 million through TPEP in the states of California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Virginia, and Wisconsin.