Ring Video Doorbells to be Installed Starting Monday Oct. 5 in Northeast Rochester Neighborhood with Five Star Bank's Progress in Action Grant
Socially distanced interview opportunity with organizers at 11 AM at 505 St Stanislaus St., Rochester
Rochester, NY—October 5, 2020—Five Star Bank, a subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI) (the “Company”), announced today that up to 125 Ring Video Doorbells will be installed this week on several streets in the City of Rochester’s Northeast neighborhood. The doorbells are being purchased thanks to a $12,500 Five Star Bank Progress in Action grant, which was awarded in March to the Unity Northeast Block Club Association. Due to the pandemic, installation of the doorbells had to be postponed until now.
Ring Video Doorbells will allow residents on St Stanislaus, Del Monte and Manchester Streets, between North and Carter Streets to be notified via an app on a mobile device or computer, if there is motion at their door and to communicate with the individual if desired. The Ring program also provides device owners the opportunity to participate in the Ring Neighbors program, which serves as a digital Neighborhood Watch program, alerting neighbors to any suspicious activity the doorbells capture in their neighborhood.
WHO:
Joe Dugan, Chief Experience and Go To Market Officer, Five Star Bank
Emma Morrison, President, Unity North East Block Association
Carlos Santana, Community Building in Action Program Coordinator, Action for a Better Community
WHEN & WHERE:
Monday, October 5, 2020 11 a.m. to noon starting at 505 St Stanislaus St., Rochester – Media interview opportunity with organizers
Interviews may also be accommodated during these scheduled installment days (weather permitting). Please contact Amanda Antinore (585-729-7533) to make arrangements:
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 11 a.m. to noon; 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 8, 2020 1 to 3 p.m.; 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Friday, October 9, 2020 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 10, 2020 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 15, 2020 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Friday, October 16, 2020 11 a.m. to noon; 3 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, October 17, 2020 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monday, October 19, 2020 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 4 to 6 p.m.
More Information
Progress in Action is a unique grassroots initiative launched by Five Star Bank to bring people in the community together to help low-income families in economically vulnerable neighborhoods, one block at a time.
Five Star Bank established the initiative through the United Way and the Rochester Area Community Foundation, who formed a unique partnership and made it possible to give neighbors the opportunity to receive funding for ideas they have to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood. Donations to the United Way have been a combination of contributions from Five Star Bank and from people in the community who have supported Progress in Action with individual donations.
Joe Dugan, Chief Experience and Go To Market Officer, who is leading the bank’s Progress in Action initiative, said, “We were impressed by this grant application because it addressed a basic need all community residents deserve, which is to be safe in their own homes.
Much great work is being done by many community groups and not-for-profits to resolve the significant challenges of poverty and education in the City of Rochester. Progress in Action was designed to supplement that great work by providing folks living in challenged neighborhoods a way to improve the quality of life on their block, while these systemic issues are being addressed. Once the doorbells are installed, we will be monitoring the impact of this grant and how it has produced positive change in this neighborhood.”
The grant request was submitted by Emma Morrison, Unity North East Block Association president, with the intention of making safety in the Northeast neighborhood a priority.
Morrison said, “Our drive is to make the neighborhood a safer and better place to live. By making it possible to purchase these Ring devices, Five Star Bank is giving us the opportunity to make our community safer. This will impact a lot of residents who are elderly, have disabilities, and who don’t feel safe in their homes. Five Star Bank has opened the door to more opportunities to improve our neighborhood through Progress in Action. We are grateful to them for their commitment to the Northeast neighborhood.”
Morrison recognized that while funding the purchase of the Doorbells was one challenge, expecting neighbors to install them was another, so she reached out to Carlos Santana, of Action for a Better Community (ABC), to complete the installations.
“The Progress in Action grant is without parallel in our community,” said Carlos Santana, ABC’s Community Building in Action Program Coordinator. “We are pleased to be collaborating on this project to improve the safety of our neighborhood. We initially asked for 25 devices but Five Star Bank wanted to make an even greater impact in our community and suggested the grant should be able to fund enough devices to install at all the homes on the three-street block. That is 125 homes where residents will feel safe because of a bank that cares for our community and is committed to the greater Rochester safety. We thank Five Star Bank for showing that it cares by its action.”
Morrison and Santana are contacting residents to see if they want a doorbell installed. Installation is targeted to be completed in April.
The NE Unity Block Association has been in existence since 2011 and focuses on making a difference with our neighbors regarding health, nutrition, culture, PLAYROC, clean sweep, safety and overall quality of life issues.
Progress in Action Information
For more information on Progress in Action visit: uwrochester.org/ProgressInAction.
The grant application process is managed by the Rochester Area Community Foundation. Applications for Progress in Action grants can be made by visiting racf.org/grant/special-regional-improvement-grants/
The Community Can Also Donate to Progress in Action
Donations may be made directly to the United Way through MobileCause a app.mobilecause.com/form/k4n1Ng?vid=5hlr2
Donations collected through the United Way using MobileCause and the text code “ProgressAction” will be restricted funds that will be solely allocated to the Progress in Action initiative.
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About Five Star Bank and Financial Institutions, Inc.
Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking and lending services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses through a network of more than 50 offices throughout Western and Central New York State. Additional Five Star Bank information is available at www.five-starbank.com and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Five Star Bank, SDN Insurance Agency, LLC (“SDN”), Courier Capital, LLC (“Courier Capital”), and HNP Capital, LLC (“HNP Capital”) are subsidiaries of Financial Institutions, Inc. SDN provides a broad range of insurance services to personal and business clients. Courier Capital and HNP Capital provide customized investment management, investment consulting, and retirement plan services to individuals, businesses, institutions, foundations, and retirement plans. Financial Institutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ approximately 650 individuals. Financial Institutions, Inc. stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol FISI. Additional information is available at www.fiiwarsaw.com.