By Stacey A. Shannon—
MUNCIE, IN—This past spring, 33 First Merchants Bank employees traded their desks for a day in the classroom at Anderson Preparatory Academy. Spread across every K–5 classroom, these volunteers brought Junior Achievement’s financial wellness lessons to life. They taught children about saving money and setting career goals.
First Merchants employees made concepts like budgeting and entrepreneurship fun and relatable. Delaware County’s hometown bank knows that early education in budgeting and saving is vital to the success of communities.
For First Merchants moments like this aren’t one-offs; they’re part of a long tradition of investing in neighbors and neighborhoods. In fact, Alisa McPhearson, executive administrative specialist for the bank, said First Merchants is working to get Junior Achievement back in Delaware County as well.
Community Commitment Runs Deep
First Merchants Bank has been part of East Central Indiana for well over a century, and today nearly 600 of its employees live and work in Delaware, Henry and Madison counties. They are not just bankers. They’re youth sports coaches, soup kitchen servers, Habitat homebuilders and nonprofit board members, all dedicated to giving back.
“Our employees are very passionate about volunteering and giving back,” McPhearson said.
In fact, whether it’s building a house with Habitat for Humanity, stocking shelves at a local food bank or serving on a community board, First Merchants encourages its team to go “all in” on volunteerism.
That encouragement shows: so far in 2025, First Merchants’ northeast Indiana employees have logged over 3,100 volunteer hours. They’ve lent a hand to organizations like the Soup Kitchen of Muncie, TeenWorks, PathStone Corporation, Classroom Connections and Minnetrista, reflecting the bank’s broad commitment to community needs from fighting hunger and mentoring youth to supporting affordable housing and local arts.
Employees of First Merchants Bank volunteered this year at Operation Love in Anderson to organize donated items and later help plant a garden.
The bank’s community support isn’t just measured in hours, but in real-world impact felt across the region.
“For our neighbors, supporting local businesses, helping our communities prosper economically and beyond – this is why we do what we do,” said Mark Hardwick, First Merchants Bank CEO. “First Merchants is a part of our communities as much as they are a part of us.”
In 2024 alone, First Merchants poured $2.35 billion into initiatives across its communities and logged 17,319 hours of employee volunteer service. The bank also supported 703 different nonprofits and local organizations in 2024, helped 328 families overcome down-payment hurdles to achieve homeownership, and financed $112 billion in loans for affordable housing development projects to help spur construction and revitalization in under-resourced areas.
Equally important, First Merchants teammates delivered over 690 hours of free financial wellness education through workshops, school programs and one-on-one coaching. All these numbers add up to a bank that remains dedicated to being part of its local community.
Helping Ease Financial Worries
First Merchants’ commitment to community goes beyond volunteer projects, though. The financial institution also addresses the everyday financial stress local residents face. The bank recently conducted research into budgeting habits and found that many people, especially younger adults, carry a heavy emotional weight when it comes to managing money.
In fact, about one in four millennials say they feel stressed, anxious or even guilty when handling their personal finances. (Younger Hoosiers are not alone in this; nationally, Gen Z and Gen X also report budgeting anxiety, though millennials lead the pack.)
This insight spurred First Merchants to launch a financial wellness campaign called “What Kind of Budgeter Are You?” that’s aimed at helping people understand their money habits and find tools to budget with confidence. The interactive program features a fun quiz to identify your budgeting personality and offers tips tailored to your style, but it also comes with practical support.
People interested in improving their financial situation can access free resources on First Merchants’ website. The site offers real-time, automated budgeting and personal finance tools with insights like current credit scores and more. Of course, First Merchants’ dependable bankers are ready to provide personal guidance anytime.
“It can be difficult to know where to start with budgeting your personal finances, particularly when faced with broader economic challenges,” said Elena Brodskiy, Banking Center Manager at First Merchants. “But with the right support and resources, people can make the most of their money each month.”
First Merchants is poised to be that help for local residents by offering financial education and opportunities to talk budget with local bankers, living up to its motto of helping people prosper.
