How Bell Investments Gives Back to Our Communities

Growing up, Andrew Holte had a unique perspective on what it means to give back.

Andrew’s parents were missionaries who often moved between Minnesota and Mexico when Andrew was young. In Mexico, they would hand out food, clothing, and Bibles to people in need.

“I got to see a side of life that a lot of Minnesota kids don’t get to see,” said Andrew, a Bell Investments wealth advisor in Alexandria, Minn. “It changed my mindset on what a want and need is.”

Those experiences helped inform Andrew’s approach to giving back over the years. Today, he serves as the board chair for the Alexandria Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteers on the board of the Alexandria Area Youth Basketball Association. He also helped to start the area’s first Walk to End Alzheimer’s annual fundraiser and volunteers with other local events throughout the year.

That commitment to his community is something he shares with many others on the Bell Investments team. Through volunteerism, board service, and giving back through Bell Bank’s Pay It Forward program, Bell Investments helps support the communities where employees live and work.

Making a Difference with Volunteerism

In Fargo, Wealth Advisor Keith Burck serves on the finance committee of the Peace Officer/Jail Chaplains Association, which offers chaplain visits, compassionate visits, worship services, and post-release support for people incarcerated in the Cass County Jail. Keith previously served on the organization’s board for nine years, and he has also helped lead courses that give men and women resources to transition from jail back into society.

“I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact on our community when men and women are able to successfully reenter society after their incarceration,” Keith said. 

In Wahpeton, N.D., Client Service Associate Amy Cookman regularly volunteers as a lunch buddy during the school year, meeting with and mentoring an assigned student twice a month. Amy has also been involved with Make-a-Wish of North Dakota for 10 years, and Make-a-Wish of Minnesota for four years, volunteering, fundraising, and helping to grant wishes and create life-changing moments for children with critical illnesses.

“It’s amazing to see how much a wish can help a child forget about what they’re going through, even just for a little while,” Amy said. “No matter how big or small, it means the world to them.”

Paying It Forward to People in Need

In addition to their volunteer efforts, Bell Investments team members also give back through Bell’s Pay It Forward program, which gives employees funds for donating to individuals, families, and organizations in need. Since it began in 2008, the Pay It Forward program has empowered $30 million in employee grassroots giving across the country.

In Wahpeton, Amy has used her Pay It Forward funds to help families with medical expenses, purchasing household items for families after devastating house fires, supporting local charities, and much more. In the 11 years that she’s been with Bell, Amy has donated $13,000 through the program back to her local community.

Andrew has also donated his funds to a wide range of causes, including one year to help support the cost of fixing student Chromebooks at an Alexandria elementary school so kids didn’t have to pay the cost themselves.

“It’s changing lives when you’re able to put thousands of dollars back into the community to people who need it the most,” he said.

Keith, meanwhile, has taken Pay It Forward a step further. Several years ago, he and his wife decided to follow Bell’s example and give each of their three children the equivalent of employee Pay It Forward funds to give back however they wanted.

“It gives them an opportunity to share in giving back,” Keith said. “It’s rewarding to see the joy they get from giving away money to people and causes that matter to them.”

This article appeared in the Q4 2024 issue of the Bell Wealth newsletter.