On Tuesday, September 11, 2018, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds made a stop at the West First Citizens location to recognize the bank for its participation in the Give Back Iowa Challenge through Volunteer Iowa.

Each year, businesses are encouraged to get their employees excited about volunteerism and log the hours they volunteer in their community for the months of April and May. Sample activities included teaching Sunday school, serving on a board of a non-profit organization, picking up litter for Earth Day, and many more. First Citizens Bank won the volunteerism challenge for three years in a row.

"We have always encouraged employees to volunteer," said Marti Rodamaker, President of First Citizens Bank. "The real winner is North Iowa and our communities. When we work together and help area non-profit organizations, everyone wins, and we're proud to lead the charge."

First Citizens Bank employees volunteered 11.39 hours per employee for this year's Give Back Iowa Challenge. That is an increase from 2017, when employees completed about 7.7 hours each. In 2019 First Citizens will continue to log their volunteer hours, but will not be participating in the challenge so that another business can step up and be recognized.

The Give Back Iowa Challenge is open to businesses of all sizes in Iowa. Each business is put into a category based on the number of employees. This year First Citizens' 200 employees were in the "Small" category.