CLARKSVILLE, TN – Legends Bank is the Emerging Community Bank Service Award winner for the Independent Community Bankers of America’s (ICBA) National Community Bank Service Awards. The program recognizes outstanding acts of service and creative volunteer efforts of the nation’s community banks. Stories about the winners are featured in the September issue of ICBA’s Independent Banker magazine.

The $880 million-asset bank earned this distinction for its Legends Lift volunteer service program established in 2024 and designed to respond swiftly to community crises and ongoing vulnerabilities. Through partnerships like YAIPAK and initiatives like Operation Hauling Hope, Legends Bank supports recovery efforts for military veterans during and after tornadoes, floods and other catastrophic events. The bank’s volunteer spirit extends beyond crisis relief, collaborating with local businesses and Austin Peay State University, to exemplify how community partnerships can amplify impact.

“We honor veterans by stepping up to service them in their hour of need,” said Thomas Bates, Legends Bank President and CEO. “Legends Lift was created to bring our various community outreach and volunteer initiatives under a single umbrella. It can be daunting, but once you get into it and start seeing the benefit, the momentum just builds upon itself.”

“Legends Bank’s contribution to our organization has reached about 40,000 families a month, from providing basic life necessities to education,” Sherry Nicholson, founder and CEO of YAIPAK shared in Independent Banker. “We can mobilize quickly in the cases of those with the most urgent needs. Children to adults are receiving hope through quality care, support and dignity.”

Since the launch of the ICBA National Community Bank Service Awards program in 2002, hundreds of community banks have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to their communities. Bank technology services provider FIS, of Jacksonville, Fla., sponsored this year’s program.

“These heartfelt stories showcase the true power of community banking and its profound and lasting impact,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “Legends Bank and its employees are to be commended for their efforts to strengthen local communities through service to our nation’s heroes and their families.”

For more information about ICBA and the National Community Bank Service Awards, visit ICBA’s website.