For Joy Kline, Village Bank’s response to the COVID-19 crisis exemplified its tagline: You’re a neighbor, not a number.
Village Bank with its nine branches helped nearly 1,300 existing and new business clients process Payroll Protection Plan Loans. “We did $185 million in approvals protecting 20,000 jobs in our community by April 29, which represents about 150% of the normal volume in a year,” Kline says. “It’s been a huge amount of teamwork. And to hear that we were the one who made the difference to someone, that they felt we were willing to listen to them, really has resonated.”
Kline, a 40-year banking veteran who joined Village in 2006, manages the retail banking arm with a complement of 40 employees. The question “What can we do to make sure we maintain quality relationships?” is at the core of her team’s work.
Relationship-building through community service is also part of Village’s mission. Each Village teammate is given two full workdays to volunteer each year, in addition to being able to participate in the lunch mentor program at Chalkley Elementary School through Communities in Schools.
Service is integral to Kline’s identity. She lives in Goochland and sat on her local YMCA board for nearly a decade. “I saw those nine years as making an impact in my backyard, trying to meet the needs of people of all ages,” she says.
And through Goochland’s Rotary Club, she’s been able to impact the world. “The Rotary Foundation is so special to me,” Kline says. “Through it, grants can be generated that allow Rotarians to do the work they want to do to promote peace and fight disease internationally.”
