Give where you live
Bridgewater Bank was founded in the Twin Cities in 2005. Now that it’s one of the more sizable banks in the state (with seven branches and about 250 employees), there’s still a huge emphasis placed on the bank’s hometown loyalty. Its website touts its status as “locally founded, locally led.”
And when Bridgewater partners with nonprofits, “local” remains the preference. That includes Simpson Housing Services.
So far, the bank has sponsored three of Simpson’s fundraisers, including two years of Simpson’s annual art sale, Art 4 Shelter, and the first ever Music 4 Shelter benefit concert, which took place in 2021. All proceeds from these events go to Simpson’s shelter and housing programs.
Vice President of Branch Banking Caitlin Winter says Simpson’s deep roots in Minneapolis – 40 years and counting – made it a good fit for Bridgewater. Besides, housing issues tend to be top of mind for Bridgewater’s staff. A lot of team members also live right here in the cities, where homelessness tends to be a little more visible.
But Caitlin says it goes further than that. She says she “really saw a correlation” between the way Bridgewater and Simpson viewed their relationships with community members.
“The relationships that you have with your shelter guests are really special, and we feel the same way about the relationships we have with our clients,” she says. There’s an emphasis on remembering names, listening, and making those day-to-day interactions not only positive but meaningful. That kinship, she says, made Simpson stand out as a worthy cause.
Besides supporting Simpson, Bridgewater also focuses on housing issues upstream with its work in the affordable housing market. Between 2017 and 2020, more than $300 million in loans were allocated toward affordable housing initiatives.
In 2020, the bank received the highest possible rating from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for its Community Reinvestment Act exam, which measured the bank’s ability to meet the credit needs of the Twin Cities’ economically-disadvantaged neighborhoods through “lending, investments, and service efforts.”
Winter says volunteering with Simpson is next on the Bridgewater team’s wish-list. They’d love to get familiar with Simpson’s work in a more personal way. In the meantime, they’re excited for another Art 4 Shelter event – the first in-person sale since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
We couldn’t do what we do without the support of local businesses like Bridgewater. If you’d like to learn more about how your business or organization can partner with Simpson and give back to you community, email Elisabeth Loeffler, Director of Advancement and Communications, at eloeffler@simpsonhousing.org.
There are also lots of fun ways you and your team can volunteer together. Check out Simpson’s volunteer landing page.
As always, you can also donate to Simpson directly.