Community & Events

Our Garden City team once again signed up to act as Secret Santas, providing gifts to local foster children through Spirit of the Plains, CASA. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring Christmas joy to such deserving children.

Western State Bank recently challenged students in surrounding communities to compete in our first ever Coin Challenge. 

Our Colby team enjoyed serving drinks at BrewFest during last weekend's Sunflower Festival in Colby. We are proud to sponsor this exciting annual event.

Our St. Francis team surprised every teacher in the district with a $25 Amazon gift card to kick off the school year. We're beyond appreciative of our teachers and important work they do to educate and help shape the children in our communities.

Persistent staffing shortages are affecting school districts across the nation, often leading teachers to feel burned out and students at risk of missed learning opportunities. To help address this challenge, Western State Bank in Garden City recently announced a substitute teaching program that will benefit its employees and the local school district.

Through the program, Western State Bank will pay for employees to become certified as substitute teachers, and award additional paid-time-off (PTO) days allowing employees to participate in the program without cutting into their existing PTO.

“Our children and our future workforce are directly affected by the staffing shortage,” Western State Bank President Tyler Whitham said. “The district is working hard to find creative solutions. If we can assist by simply ensuring there are additional responsible, caring adults present to help educate these children and to allow teachers to take much-needed time off, then that’s what we’d like to do.”

As USD 457 kicks off the 2022-2023 school year, the district continues to face multiple teacher vacancies, many of which are being filled by long-term substitutes. According to USD 457 Human Resources Director Dr. Joe Alcorta, this leaves the district with a challenging substitute teacher shortage.

“Generally, educators don’t want to have to take time off,” USD 457 Superintendent Dr. Mike Dominguez said. “But life happens, and we hope to support our teachers by putting this in place. We are very, very humbled that Western State Bank would approach us with this possibility. We’re excited, and we know it’s going to work. We hope other businesses choose to get involved.”

More than half of Western State Bank’s 120 employees work at the bank’s headquarters in Garden City. Many are in non-customer-facing office positions, allowing for more flexibility with work schedules.

“We see this as a benefit to both the school district and our employees,” Western State Bank Human Resources Manager Allie Medina said. “We already have a generous PTO allowance and multiple bank holidays when school is still in session. Now employees have the chance to bring in additional income on their days off, and spend more time with their children if they choose to sub in their classrooms.”

Western State Bank will assist employees with the certification process through an on-site event scheduled for Monday, Aug. 29. The Garden City Police Department and St. Catherine Hospital staff will be in attendance to conduct fingerprinting and TB skin test reading. 

Whitham said that he hopes to share what they’ve learned about the certification process and provide consultation on how the program could be implemented in other organizations.

“We just hope that our program will inspire other businesses and organizations to follow suit,” Whitham said. “We believe this is a challenge our community has the power and resources to help address.”

For more information about Western State Bank’s substitute teaching program, contact Western State Bank Public Relations and Marketing Director Sarah Waller at swaller@wsbks.com. For more information on substitute teaching certification, visit gckschools.com or contact Lisa Sander at lsander@gckschools.com.

Our Dodge City banking center team surprised new Dodge City Public Schools teachers with backpacks full of teacher supplies to kick off their first school year.

We were proud to act as Presenting Sponsor for the Southwest Kansas Builders Association's Inaugural Builders Golf Tournament at Southwind Country Club. Golfers enjoyed complimentary cigars from the WSB Stogie Stop.

Our Garden City staff had a great time at the 2022 Garden City Community College student orientation. Our station featured corn hole and a prize wheel with dorm food prizes.

Thanks to everyone who attended our annual Customer BBQ! We enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces and getting the chance to connect with you.

The Colby Air Show was a hit! We had a great time and were thrilled to be part of such an exciting, family-friendly event! Thanks to all the organizers and volunteers who worked to make it possible.

We had a wonderful time connecting with our customers, friends and neighbors at the Western State Bank Beer & Boots in event Garden City! This fun-filled Beef Empire Days event features live music, food trucks, a steak cookoff, and a beer garden. 

Our Colby team enjoyed serving attendees at Brew Fest during the 2021 Sunflower Festival. Pictured is Western State Bank Loan Officer Matt Smith & his wife Randi.

Our Garden City staff presented a donation to the Kansas Children’s Service League. The donation was part of our employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. 

Our Goodland staff had a great time at the 2021 Main Street Crawl, welcoming new college students to the community. Our station featured a corn hole competition and dorm food prizes to help stock students' pantries. 

“The Code of the West” was this year’s Dodge City Days theme, and our DC team put together an impressive float for the parade. The float featured a hand-made bank vault, a "wanted" poster picturing Dodge City Banking Center President Todd English, and squirt guns for props. We're looking forward to next year's parade!

Western State Bank employees Anita Hernandez and David Mongeau present a donation to representatives from Real Men Real Leaders. The donation was made possible by the employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. The program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Our Leoti banking center held it's 16th Annual Customer Appreciation BBQ, which coincides with the Wichita County Fair. While the title may imply the event is exclusive to our customers, our Leoti team ensures that the entire community is included.  Western State Bank staff members from Leoti, Garden City and Scott City were present to cook and serve the food and assist attendees.

More than 100 community members and customers attended our Colby banking center’s 10 year anniversary celebration. The event featured a full BBQ dinner, prizes, and a cash giveaway. It also doubled as a Chamber Business After Five. We were thrilled with the response and grateful for the support from our customers and the community at large.

Western State Bank employees Vicky Olson and Gaby Sanchez present a donation to Miles of Smiles Director Carrie Anne Ellison. The donation was made possible by the employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. The program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Our Garden City team enjoyed an on-site painting party led by Garden City Arts Director Katy Guthrie. 

Laney Crouch was chosen as the 2021 recipient of our Leoti banking center’s $1,000 renewable scholarship. Pictured with Laney is Leoti Banking Center President Brady Harbin.

Colby Banking Center President J.L. Evins and American Implement Manager Jason Pfeifer present Oakley High School's Dane Scheetz with an Ag Future Scholarship certificate at his high school's awards assembly. Scheetz was one of ten scholarship recipients across western Kansas.

Together with American Implement, we are pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Ag Future Scholarship Program.

The Ag Future Scholarship Program provides a total of 10, $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors who intend to pursue an Ag-related program or degree at a university, community college or technical school.

Applicants from 16 western Kansas counties applied, and the following students were chosen as recipients:

Blakely Aldridge, Weskan High School; Garin Cooper, Saint Francis Community High School; Kayler Getz, Quinter High School; Cole Lehman, Ingalls High School; Rilee McGraw, Garden City High School; Matthew Morgan, Lakin High School; Halle Robinson, Dodge City High School; Dane Scheetz, Oakley Senior High; Aaron Skidmore, South Gray High School; and Landon Trout, Scott Community High School

 To qualify for the scholarship, students were required to have a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average, reside in a qualifying western Kansas or eastern Colorado county, and plan to pursue an Ag-related program. Additional factors such as grades, letters of recommendation, community involvement and participation in extracurricular activities were also considered. 

Our Dodge City team recently attended the first-ever Western Kansas Spring Fling at the Village Square Mall. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit with Sonya, Martha and Justine, and congratulations to our gift basket winner, Chasity Gonser. 

Special thanks to Southwind Broadcasting for organizing a successful show.

Several Garden City staff members recently participated in Wear Blue Day to raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Western State Bank New Accounts Representative Janet Villatoro presents a donation to Garden City Arts Director Katy Guthrie. The donation was made possible by the employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. The program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Western State Bank employees David Mongeau, Sarah Waller, and Gaby Sanchez present a donation to Carrie Anne Ellison from Miles of Smiles. The donation was made possible by the employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. The program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Our Leoti banking center organized a drive-thru hamburger and hot dog feed to help raise money for the Wichita County Junior Senior High School athletic department. 
The WCJSHS athletic department normally raises 100% of its funds from sporting event concession stands; unfortunately, concession stands cannot open this year. The Leoti banking center's drive-thru event brought in nearly $1,300.  Special thanks to the City of Leoti for shutting down J Street on such short notice, and to the event volunteers for all your work putting on this fundraiser. Your time and efforts made a difference.

Our Garden City team provided custom, gaiter-style masks for nearly 500 students and staff members at Kenneth Henderson Middle School. Garden City schools are requiring masks for all students and staff until the expiration of the governor's mask order. Our Garden City banking center is matched with Kenneth Henderson Middle School through the Partners in Education program, and we were happy to help KH students and staff meet this requirement. 

Our Garden City banking center was proud to sponsor the 13th Annual Banner Art Walk on Saturday, Aug. 8. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Art Walk featured a revised format allowing for more social distancing. Western State Bank Relationship Development Manager Cassie Gonzales volunteered at the event, serving complimentary bottled water to all attendees.

Dodge City Mortgage Loan Officers, Martha Reynoso and Justine Kruger recently presented at the Community Housing Association of Dodge City's Homebuyer Education class.
The class was designed to educate home buyers on various topics including financing requirements, understanding credit scores, home inspections, loan types, and radon mitigation.

Our Leoti banking center recently held a matching challenge, agreeing to match up to $10,000 in funds pledged by the Leoti community to benefit the Grow & Learn Childcare Center building project.

They matched all pledges 1:1 (up to $200 per individual and $400 per business) during a six week period. The Leoti community pledged a total of $13,359, securing the full match and raising a total of $23,359.

Wichita County currently has only one licensed home day care. The Grow & Learn Child Care Center will create a much needed solution for the parents and employers of the community.

Western State Bank Mortgage Loan Officer Jocelyn Ismerio and Mortgage Assistant Yeovana Martinez present a donation to representatives from the Kansas Children's Service League. The donation was made possible by the employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. The program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Our Garden City team recently partnered with the GCCC Endowment Association and Dodge City-based Boot Hill Distillery to bring free hand sanitizer to the community. They hosted a drive-up distribution event on Saturday, April 25, and distributed 1,300 bottles in just two short hours. 

Due to the pandemic, our St. Francis team was unable to hold their annual community Easter Egg Hunt. So to continue the fun, they put together 200 treat bags for area children, and worked with the schools and day cares to disperse them. Thanks to all the sponsors who joined us in this effort: Farm Bureau Insurance , St. Francis Supers, Captain Hook’s, Tin Roof Baking Co, Grace Flying Service, Diamond R • Mark & Julie Mills, Fresh Seven, Majestic, St. Francis Tire, Mary Lehman, Dan & Rita Stephens, Don & Phyllis Whitmore, Frewen Insurance Agency, UM Thrift Store

Western State Bank's Jennifer Irsik and Jane Hewson practice social distancing while posing with a check written to St. Catherine Hospice in Garden City.  The donation was made possible by our employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. The program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Western State Bank's Bebe Denney presented a donation to the Finney County Humane Society on behalf of all Garden City employees. The donation was made possible by our employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. The program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Garden City Commercial & Ag Lender David Mongeau recently presented the Kansas Bankers Award to Knoll Brothers, Incorporated at the Finney County Conservation District's 73rd Annual Meeting. Knoll Brothers Inc was chosen for their hard work and dedication to conservation.

Western State Bank's Dodge City banking center recently sponsored the Dodge City Community College basketball game against Hutchinson Community College. Everyone in the community was invited to attend free of charge. Banking Center President/Chief Lending Officer Todd English and his son presented the game ball. 

Garden City employees presented a donation to representatives from the Garden City based Leave a Legacy Foundation. The donation was made possible by our employee-driven Casual for a Cause program. Our Casual For A Cause program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

Colby Banking Center President J.L. Evins recently accepted the Orange and Black Classic Founders Award presented to Western State Bank. Congratulations to Brynn McCormick of Scott City on receiving the tournament's MVP award!

Hope's Closet was the winning Scott City organization from our recent 2020 giveaway! Thank you to all the Scott City area residents who submitted nominations. Commercial & Mortgage Loan Officer Patty McGuire was proud to present the donation.

Leoti Banking Center President Brady Harbin recently presented a donation to the Wichita County Grow and Learn Childcare Center, which was made possible by your participation in our 2020 Giveaway. Thank you, Leoti, for joining us in the fun and helping us make a difference!

Dodge City Banking Center President/Chief Lending Officer Todd English presents Trista Fergerson of the Perfect Fit Foundation with a donation from our recent 2020 Giveaway contest. We are proud to support this incredible organization.
🔷️If you're not yet familiar with the Perfect Fit Foundation, be sure to check out their page. They're working hard to increase acceptance and awareness of individuals with special needs and disabilities in the Dodge City area.

Thanks to nominations submitted by the public, our Leoti Banking Center was able to bring the magic of Christmas to four local families in need. One family received a "haul" of gifts, and three other families received gift certificates to Leoti Foods. We appreciate everyone who submitted nominations and helped make this possible.

Our St. Francis banking center's Angel Tree Program reached 104 Cheyenne County children this season thanks to the generosity of the St. Francis and Bird City communities.

The Angel Tree Program provides gifts from "Santa" to area children. Angel tags are placed on Christmas trees in several Cheyenne County locations. Community members pick up tags and purchase the gifts for children in need.

In 2018, 74 children received gifts from Santa. This year, our banking center was able to gift 104 children. Each child on the Angel Tree also received a winter coat through funds raised by Western State Bank employees working at the United Methodist Thrift Store.

Gifts were distributed to the families on December 18 in Bird City and on Friday, December 20 in St. Francis.

Congratulations to our Dodge City "Banking on a Cure" Relay for Life Team for organizing a successful Zumbathon fundraiser at the local YMCA! Thanks to their efforts over $300 was raised for Relay for Life.

Our Leoti employees participated in yesterday's Match Day, awarding a local organization with a donation at the Wichita County Community Foundation.

Each department of our Garden City banking center chose its own Match Day recipient this year.
Thanks to the Western Kansas Community Foundation for organizing this awesome event and supporting our local nonprofit organizations!

Garden City employees donated over $300 to the Emmaus House, a local homeless shelter and food pantry. The donation was part of the group's Casual for a Cause program. The funds will help the Emmaus House with their holiday food boxes. Pictured L to R: Jairo Martinez (WSB), Brittney Knoll (Emmaus House), and Bebe Denney (WSB).

Our Garden City banking center employees had fun participating in the annual Boo at the Zoo event at Lee Richardson Zoo. 

Our Garden City banking center was proud to sponsor the September Builders' Luncheon!
Pictured (L-R): Mortgage Lender Jocelyn Ismerio, Commercial/Ag Lender David Mongeau, and Mortgage Lender Kacey Duncan.

Our Garden City Banking Center was proud to act as a major sponsor for this year's Community Mexican Fiesta.

Garden City employees donated $300 to the Kansas Children's Service League's Head Start Program. The donation was part of the group's Casual for a Cause program. Pictured L to R: Andria Rosales (WSB), Janet Villatoro (WSB), Cecilia Douglass (KCSL), and Cassie Gonzales (WSB). 

Cassie and Janet enjoyed visiting with community members at Food Truck Friday in Downtown Garden City!

Our Goodland employees worked hard to prepare our Customer Appreciation BBQ at the Sherman County Fairgrounds. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

The Kansas Masonic Foundation recently chose Western State Bank in Scott City as a ticket location for their 1968 Camaro RS/SS Convertible giveaway! Pictured left to right, WSB team members Patty, Kelcee and Lizeth.

Kacey, WSB Mortgage Lender, and Edith, WSB Mortgage Loan Processor, visited the Garden City Public Schools and Community of Garden City New Teacher In-service. They provided new teachers with information regarding banking and home loans, plus a chance to spin our prize wheel.

The Garden City banking center employees chose to award the Darin Golay Memorial Fund as its July Casual for a Cause recipient. Accepting the donation was Darin Golay's mother, Marsha Golay. Our Casual For A Cause program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day).

Our Garden City banking center recently held a Western Art Show featuring the star of Oklahoma's 'Art of a Cowboy' reality TV show, southwest Kansas native Steve Boaldin. The show included western-themed art from several southwest Kansas artists,  acoustic music, refreshments, a supervised kids art station, and an artwork raffle.  The event coincided with the Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours. 

Our Scott City banking center crew volunteered to serve at the annual Beefiesta, helping to raise funds for Scott City Animal Rescue. The Beefiesta took place at Patton Park following the parade.  Congratulations to HRC Feedyard on your tasting booth victory!

Lenders from our Garden City and Dodge City banking centers recently provided fair-goers with dessert during the annual Gray County Fair hamburger feed. 

Each attendee received an ice cream pop. Thank you to the Gray County Fair Board for allowing us to be part of the occasion. 

The Garden City banking center employees chose to award the Bras Fore a Cause as its June Casual for a Cause recipient. This organization assists local families affected by cancer to afford travel expenses and other miscellaneous costs. We're thankful for the work they do in our community! 
Our Casual For A Cause program is made up of donations from our employees, who select a different charity each month. They submit their donation in exchange for the chance to participate in casual Friday (jeans day). We're proud of the difference they continue to make.

The Garden City banking center recently sponsored the June 29th Garden City Wind baseball game. The evening featured a capture-the-flag zorb ball contest during the seventh inning stretch where audience members competed against banking center employees for the chance to win a firework gift basket. 

Our Scott City and Leoti banking centers recently teamed up for the Western State Bank golf tournament. The annual two-day event offers $1,000 in prize money and is open to both communities.

Our Dodge City banking center team recently represented us at the Ford County Relay for Life event. Special thanks to Rhonda, Martha, Yasmin and Nancy for getting involved in such a meaningful cause.

Our Garden City banking center held its annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament Friday at the Golf Club at Southwind. Commercial Lender Steve Harkness is pictured with his team.

Jacob Waller and WSB Mortgage Lender Jocelyn Ismerio represented us as judges at the Rocking M Media Grill Master Cook Off during Beef Empire Days. The Grill Master Cook Off was held just before the Western State Bank Beef, Beer & Boots event on June 8 in Downtown Garden City. Congratulations to the winner, Ken Lang, whose grilling skills beat out 14 other contestants resulting in a $1,000 prize!

In recognition of National Donut Day our Dodge City banking center offered free donuts, juice and coffee to the entire community on June 7. Special thanks to Michelle and Louis at Dodge City’s Daylight Donuts for helping to "sweeten up" the morning.

WSB Senior Vice President Jason Drohman and Garden City Commercial Loan Officer Steve Harkness participated in the annual Garden City Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament on June 7. Thanks to our friends Jorge Vargas and Richard Lightner for joining us!

Our team enjoyed participating in the Inaugural Spirit of the Plains CASA Rodeo Olympics on June 1. We competed in team skiing, a water gun shootout, saw horse roping, a boot ring toss and a watermelon eating contest, all for a great cause. Thanks to all the employees who participated!

Loan Officers Stephen Austin and Ruby Rojas recently presented at the Homebuyer Education Class at the public library. They covered subjects such as understanding credit and loan types, financing requirements, closing costs, required documents and more. Thanks to Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation and the Dodge City Public Library for inviting us to be part of this event.

To celebrate Small Business Week, our Garden City main banking center awarded 100 cups of coffee from the New Grind Coffee Trolley to the first 100 attendees who proved they shop small and shop local. Recipients chose from a special event menu with options such as the Lenders’ Latte, the Money Mocha, the Bankers’ Brew, and the Western Wake Up. Thank you to New Grind for partnering with us, to our employees who helped make the event possible, and to everyone who joined us that day!

Our Garden City banking center surprised the teachers at Kenneth Henderson Middle School with free breakfast burritos on National Teachers Day. Thank you to all the educators out there making a difference in our communities!

To honor our local nurses, our Garden City banking center recently awarded 30 local nurses with their favorite coffee drinks on Nurses Day. WSB employees delivered the custom-ordered coffee drinks to nurses who were nominated by their friends, families and peers via social media. Thanks to Patrick Dugan’s Coffee House and Central Cup Coffee House for helping prepare the orders, and to our amazing employees who took time out of their day to bring joy to this incredibly deserving group!

Our St. Francis banking center recently held their annual kids Easter Egg Hunt where they handed out over 200 treat bags to each participant. Afterward, they took the leftover treat bags to the Cheyenne County Village nursing home to bring cheer to the residents. We're so proud of our employees and the impact they make on our communities.

Each year our Garden City banking center takes time to deliver Meals on Wheels to home-bound members of our community. This year we had 12 employees volunteer each a day for an entire week. We’re so proud of our employees and the difference they choose to make in our community.

Pictured: Commercial Loan Officer David Mongeau.