16/Nov/2008
Bank of Zachary Employee Gives 30 Years of Service
By Jenny Kornuta
Laura Steen is a true champion of volunteerism within her community. Originally from McComb, Miss., she has almost 30 years of service under her belt, and has no plans to quit any time soon.
Steen first moved to Zachary in 1976 when her husband Will got a job working for a paper company. In 1979, while raising her young daughter Rachel, Steen decided to get a part-time job at the local bank. She has worked for the Bank of Zachary ever since and currently serves as the Operations and Security Officer.
Steen attributes her volunteer ambitions to to working at the bank. When she first started working there, one of the directors asked her to become involved in the McHugh House Museum, formerly a part of the Zachary Chamber of Commerce.
Since that project, she has moved from organization to organization, volunteering her time and effort. “The bank has been supportive of the employees’ participation [in community-oriented activities], and we appreciate the fact that they allow us [the opportunity] to give back to the community,” Steen states.
She has also continued her involvement with the Chamber, contributing greatly to its development. Steen was president of the Chamber in 1990, and since then has overseen the creation of fundraising efforts like the Zachary Sausage Festival and Z Festival. Currently, she serves as the treasurer of Z Fest.
Of all of the organizations and projects Steen has worked with over the years, the Foundation Assisting Zachary Education (FAZE) has been her favorite and the one she has worked with the longest. FAZE is an organization comprised of volunteers who give 100 percent of profits raised for local school expenses.
FAZE works “to further the excellence of education in Zachary,” according to Steen, and is satisfied knowing that all of the money goes to that end. The funds are used to buy computers, software, textbooks, calculators, maps, anything “to make [teachers’] jobs easier,” Steen said.
FAZE’s main fundraising effort is an annual mail-out to Zachary residents in July. FAZE also participates in the city’s Christmas Open House, selling $2 raffle tickets for a $1,000 prize. Last year, FAZE raised over $1,800 at the open house – money that went straight back into the community.
Projects and events such as these are what keep Steen volunteering in Zachary. Since her family moved here, she has fallen in love with the small-town feel and the family-oriented atmosphere of Zachary. “You feel like a part of the community,” Steen said.
Steen’s desire to promote and sustain Zachary’s strong family standards is not only reflected in her volunteer efforts, but also in her own life. With her only daughter living in Italy with her husband and 2 daughters, she keeps in touch by using an online service that allows users to view and talk to each other over the internet.
Steen has also been involved with the First Baptist Church in Zachary for years. She used to be a backstage regular at the annual Christmas play, and was once director of the young adult Sunday school department, which focuses on helping young, single professionals meet one another. Her daughter was in that particular age group at the time, which inspired her to help young adults struggling in between major phases in their lives.
What with working a full-time job at the bank, sitting on the Executive Committee of Z Fest, serving as Secretary of the Baton Rouge Area Bankers Security Association, and participating in many other various community efforts and projects, one might wonder if Steen ever has the chance to just relax. However, her and her husband of 40 years do find time to keep an interesting hobby: aviation. Both husband and wife are members of the Baton Rouge Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 244, made up of pilots who participate in recreational fly-ins to different cities and towns.
By Jenny Kornuta
Laura Steen is a true champion of volunteerism within her community. Originally from McComb, Miss., she has almost 30 years of service under her belt, and has no plans to quit any time soon.Steen first moved to Zachary in 1976 when her husband Will got a job working for a paper company. In 1979, while raising her young daughter Rachel, Steen decided to get a part-time job at the local bank. She has worked for the Bank of Zachary ever since and currently serves as the Operations and Security Officer.
Steen attributes her volunteer ambitions to to working at the bank. When she first started working there, one of the directors asked her to become involved in the McHugh House Museum, formerly a part of the Zachary Chamber of Commerce.
Since that project, she has moved from organization to organization, volunteering her time and effort. “The bank has been supportive of the employees’ participation [in community-oriented activities], and we appreciate the fact that they allow us [the opportunity] to give back to the community,” Steen states.
She has also continued her involvement with the Chamber, contributing greatly to its development. Steen was president of the Chamber in 1990, and since then has overseen the creation of fundraising efforts like the Zachary Sausage Festival and Z Festival. Currently, she serves as the treasurer of Z Fest.
Of all of the organizations and projects Steen has worked with over the years, the Foundation Assisting Zachary Education (FAZE) has been her favorite and the one she has worked with the longest. FAZE is an organization comprised of volunteers who give 100 percent of profits raised for local school expenses.
FAZE works “to further the excellence of education in Zachary,” according to Steen, and is satisfied knowing that all of the money goes to that end. The funds are used to buy computers, software, textbooks, calculators, maps, anything “to make [teachers’] jobs easier,” Steen said.
FAZE’s main fundraising effort is an annual mail-out to Zachary residents in July. FAZE also participates in the city’s Christmas Open House, selling $2 raffle tickets for a $1,000 prize. Last year, FAZE raised over $1,800 at the open house – money that went straight back into the community.
Projects and events such as these are what keep Steen volunteering in Zachary. Since her family moved here, she has fallen in love with the small-town feel and the family-oriented atmosphere of Zachary. “You feel like a part of the community,” Steen said.
Steen’s desire to promote and sustain Zachary’s strong family standards is not only reflected in her volunteer efforts, but also in her own life. With her only daughter living in Italy with her husband and 2 daughters, she keeps in touch by using an online service that allows users to view and talk to each other over the internet.
Steen has also been involved with the First Baptist Church in Zachary for years. She used to be a backstage regular at the annual Christmas play, and was once director of the young adult Sunday school department, which focuses on helping young, single professionals meet one another. Her daughter was in that particular age group at the time, which inspired her to help young adults struggling in between major phases in their lives.
What with working a full-time job at the bank, sitting on the Executive Committee of Z Fest, serving as Secretary of the Baton Rouge Area Bankers Security Association, and participating in many other various community efforts and projects, one might wonder if Steen ever has the chance to just relax. However, her and her husband of 40 years do find time to keep an interesting hobby: aviation. Both husband and wife are members of the Baton Rouge Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 244, made up of pilots who participate in recreational fly-ins to different cities and towns.
