Synovus has introduced Here Matters, the company’s refreshed community outreach program for the 28 locally-branded banks it operates across its five-state footprint.Here Matters will focus Synovus’ and its team members’ outreach efforts on three areas of local community service: education, needs-based opportunities, and health and wellness.

“The best way to ensure the long-term growth of our bank is to help ensure the growth of the communities where we operate,” said Kessel Stelling, Synovus Chairman and CEO. “That means more than taking deposits, providing loans, or earning the right to do the next transaction. It also means serving with our time and talent. Here Matters builds on Synovus’ century-plus legacy of service to all the communities in which we operate as the bank of here.” 

The Here Matters name, areas of focus, and program details were determined by Synovus team members from across the company. Specific projects and initiatives will be identified and delivered by Synovus banks and team members in local communities. Here Matters projects will be reported to a dedicated page on Synovus’ intranet site, and program data will be included in the company’s community outreach report summary, which made its debut in the 2015 Annual Report.

Later this month, in honor of Memorial Day, Synovus will make a financial contribution to a needs-based veterans’ organization. In June, as part of the health and wellness component of Here Matters, Synovus team members will collect more than 25,000 bottles of water, which will be donated to summer camps, food banks and other local non-profits for distribution this summer.

Here Matters was preceded by REACH —"Recognizing and Encouraging an Atmosphere of Community and of Hope" — which was introduced in 1996 to capture the ways Synovus serves communities. #HereMatters projects and photos will be tagged on social media, including Twitter and Facebook.