First Financial donates $163k in Columbus community

First Financial Bank contributed more than $163,000 in donations and over 680 volunteer hours in Columbus during the last year.

According to the company, First Financial and its Associates gave more than 12,000 hours and $4.3 million to communities it serves in 2022. That was spread over First Financial’s four-state footprint of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. And even beyond those states thanks to virtual and remote volunteering.

First Financial’s Give First program enables full-time associates to take 8 hours of paid time off to pursue volunteer activities during work hours.

The company outlined a goal of $8.5 million in donations when it established its Community Benefits Agreement for 2018-2022. However it actually has provided $19.25 million since 2018. The bank received an outstanding rating from the Federal Reserve Board for its performance under the Community Reinvestment Act in 2021, the highest rating available. That showed an excellent level of qualified community development donations and investments.