Nearly 600 Volunteers Give Back During Columbia Bank's Third Annual Melanie Dressel Community Commitment Week

TACOMA, Wash., May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost 600 Columbia Bank employee volunteers, friends and family members participated in the third annual Melanie Dressel Community Commitment Week, which honors the legacy of Columbia Bank's late Chief Executive Officer.

Complementing several other established Columbia Bank community giving programs, a total of 597 volunteers collectively devoted 1,955 hours to 78 events throughout the Northwest to honor Melanie Dressel's legacy of community support. Their work spanned the final week of April.

Ms. Dressel passed away in 2017. She was a committed philanthropist and abiding volunteer, and her legacy inspired the bank to establish this special event. Throughout the week-long commemoration, employees and community members from across the bank's three-state footprint, volunteered to help charitable activities and programs that positively influence the lives of people in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. This year, they spent the week volunteering for charities and nonprofits including Emergency Food Network, Priest River Ministries, Eugene Rescue Mission, Ballard Food Bank, Blessings Under the Bridge, and many more.

"Melanie's unwavering commitment to the communities of the Northwest set a high standard for all of us," said Hadley Robbins, Columbia Bank's Chief Executive Officer. "She led by example and our fond memories of her hard work continue to inspire us to do more for our communities and neighbors. The great level of support for this year's event exemplifies this."

In 2017 and 2018, hundreds of employees, family members and friends participated in dozens of different volunteer projects across Washington, Oregon and Idaho for the annual event. It started in 2017 as Melanie Dressel Community Commitment Day and grew into a weeklong effort in 2018.

The Melanie Dressel Community Commitment Week provides Columbia Bank employees opportunities to volunteer with charities they believe in and want to help succeed. Once registered for selected charitable events, employees strive to deliver as much community impact as possible. The Week complements several other successful Columbia Bank annual campaigns, including the Warm Hearts Winter Drive, Relay for Life, and the American Heart Association Heart Walk.

About Columbia
Headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, Columbia Banking System, Inc. is the holding company of Columbia Bank, a Washington state-chartered full-service commercial bank with locations throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho. In 2018, Columbia Bank received the Corporate Citizenship Award from the Puget Sound Business Journal, the National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion and was named a top lender in Oregon by the Small Business Administration. For the 12th consecutive year, the bank was named as one of Puget Sound Business Journal's "Washington's Best Workplaces," and for the 8^th consecutive year Columbia has been ranked as one of the nation's best banks by Forbes. More information about Columbia can be found on its website at www.columbiabank.com.

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SOURCE Columbia Bank

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