Regions Bank on Thursday announced that the nonprofit Arc of Madison County in Huntsville, Ala., is the 2015 winner of the Regions Bank “What a Difference a Day Makes” online contest.

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The Arc of Madison County in Huntsville, Ala., is the winner of the Regions Bank

The Arc of Madison County in Huntsville, Ala., is the winner of the Regions Bank "What a Difference a Day Makes" contest. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Arc of Madison County will receive 100 volunteer hours from Regions associates and $5,000 from the company. All other nominees in the contest will each receive 50 volunteer service hours from Regions associates as well as $1,000 from the company.

In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, nonprofits featured in this year’s contest serve people with disabilities. The nonprofits are highlighted in individual profiles published on www.regionsbanknews.com. Throughout the contest, online visitors were encouraged to learn about each organization and then vote for their favorites.

“At Regions Bank, community support is about more than writing a check. We believe in working with nonprofits hand-in-hand through volunteer work and raising awareness of the valuable services they provide,” said Kathy Lovell, Americans with Disabilities Act manager for Regions Bank. “Our ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’ contest gives us an opportunity to share the stories of nonprofits that are making life better in the communities we serve. We thank the public for joining us in our support, and we are honored to help further the mission of organizations that address the challenges faced by men, women and children with disabilities.”

Leaders from each of the 19 geographic areas served by Regions Bank selected a nonprofit to be highlighted and to compete in the vote. Nonprofits were chosen based on factors including overall community impact and the ability to effectively use the volunteer hours and financial support provided by Regions and its associates.

The Arc of Madison County works to enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Established in the 1950s by a group of parents seeking services and support for children with disabilities, the organization has grown to include residential services, day habilitation services, and job placement for adults. The Arc also advocates for infants, toddlers and school-aged children with disabilities.

With the grand prize of $5,000 and 100 volunteer hours from Regions, the Arc of Madison County anticipates growing its food drive efforts which serve people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who live at home on restricted incomes. The Arc plans to use volunteer service to support food collection events throughout Madison County, increasing the volume of goods collected as well as the frequency of donation box distribution.

“We are inspired by the mission of the Arc of Madison County and how its staff and volunteers are making a difference in the lives of so many people in the Tennessee Valley,” said Ron Poteat, North Alabama area president for Regions Bank. “Through expertise, dedication, and compassion, the Arc provides comprehensive services and opportunities for people with disabilities. Regions Bank is proud to support the Arc, and we look forward to helping the Arc expand its food drive services as part of the organization’s outreach response program.”

“We are extremely excited to work with Regions Bank and its associates as we continue to strengthen our community-based services around Madison County,” added Susan Klingel, executive director of the Arc of Madison County. “The Arc is committed to helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities choose and realize their goals of how they live, learn, work and play. Community support is vital in helping us provide quality services. We are truly thankful to Regions and to all of our supporters for what their support means to the families and clients we serve.”

The online “What a Difference a Day Makes” contest is one component of Regions’ ongoing “What a Difference a Day Makes” program. The program places a year-round emphasis on volunteer service throughout the 16 states served by Regions. As part of the initiative, Regions provides each of its associates a paid day off every year to volunteer in his or her community.

In 2014, Regions associates reported over 77,000 community service hours provided to a wide variety of organizations as part of Regions’ community outreach efforts.

Regions Bank works closely with organizations that advocate for people with disabilities to actively recruit and retain associates with disabilities and to ensure that customers with disabilities can bank independently, with ease, and on their own terms.

  • In addition to employing an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) manager dedicated to better serving customers with disabilities, Regions also supports efforts to recruit and retain associates with disabilities.
  • Regions Bank offers accessible facilities and services for customers with disabilities.
    • For customers who are blind or have low vision, Regions provides ATMs with speech-output and voice-instruction capability; braille, large-print and audio bank statements; sight checks, which are checks printed with raised lines; telephone banking services; and assistance in reading, filling out and processing forms.
    • For customers who are deaf or hard of hearing, Regions accepts telecommunication relay service calls and provides sign language interpreters by request.
    • Regions welcomes service animals and guide dogs at all facilities. Other accessibility needs are addressed individually to meet customer needs.

About Regions Financial Corporation

Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $122 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, mortgage, and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,650 banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.