Honoring Arizona’s Veterans and the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade are so grateful for all our sponsors – without which the Parade would never happen! The team at one of our new sponsors this year, Bank of America, took the time to write about what it means to be involved:
Bank of America Elevates Veteran Support as
New Sponsor of the 2017 Veterans Day Parade
Veterans Day is a time to honor the men and women who dedicated themselves to defending our great country and its freedom, being in service at home and around the world for generations. Every year, Phoenix honors its brave local veterans in several ways, most notably by gathering the community together for the annual Veterans Day Parade. And every year, Bank of America has been there with a full team of employees and family walking in celebration of our freedom.
This year will be no different, with the bank’s contingent in the parade spanning more than 300 participants. Making the walk extra special this year will be a VIP guest by the name of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Graham Dorsey, who the day before on Nov. 10, received keys to a mortgage-free, newly renovated home in Phoenix from Bank of America and the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals. Lance Corp. Dorsey was assigned to the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines India Company for his first deployment to Kuwait in 2003, seeing his share of combat over the years. He served for four years and was honorably discharged in 2006. He is one of the more than 2,100 veterans and families who have received a mortgage-free home from Bank of America since 2012.
Sponsoring this event in Phoenix is another way to expand our support locally by bringing together employees, families and friends to show support and gratitude to veterans locally and across the nation and the globe. We have been long-time participants in the parade and work with veterans and their families on a daily basis, but stepping into the sponsorship role this year has allowed us to be that much more involved in the parade and all of the activities surrounding it. From participating in meetings to providing volunteers, we’re proud to take our involvement to the next level this year to show support and gratitude to our veterans.
The parade caps off nearly 100 years of the bank’s commitment to the military, veterans and spouses starting in 1920. Today, Bank of America provides financial services to approximately 2 million military households across the country, including of course the active military, veterans and their families right here in the Phoenix area.
The bank focuses on making financial lives better, whether that be through specialized banking services and rates for active military; career recruitment and advancement within the company along with benefits specifically for military and spouses; providing free financial education tailored for the unique needs of military and veterans to make a smooth and successful transition to civilian life; or grants and employee volunteerism with veteran-focused charities and nonprofits to the tune of $18 million nationally since 2009.
While Bank of America works to serve the members of our military and veterans, participation alongside our neighbors in supporting these outstanding Americans helps our team join together even more and allows community members to meet heroes in real life – ones that are even living right next door.
Look for the Bank of America team at this year’s Phoenix Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, Nov. 11, in downtown Phoenix. To find out more about how to be a sponsor of the Parade in the future, email paula@pedene.com.