Results of the recent voting by Essex Savings Bank customers who participated in the bank’s Community Investment Program were announced at a meeting of employees, directors and trustees at the bank’s Plains Road Office on April 8. The top 10 winners in attendance received special recognition.

The customer balloting portion of Essex Savings Bank’s 2015 Community Investment Program began on Feb. 2 and concluded on March 2. The program entitles the bank’s customers to select up to three charities from a list of 90 qualified non-profit organizations. Fund allocations are awarded based on the results of these votes.

Essex Savings Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Gregory R. Shook stated, “At Essex Savings Bank, we believe the way to move the world forward is by giving back. Our Community Investment Program is designed to provide vital financial support to those organizations that enhance the quality of life in our communities.”

Each year, the bank donates 10 percent of its net income to non-profit organizations within the immediate market area consisting of Chester, Deep River, Essex, Lyme, Madison, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. This year, the bank allocated $98,741 to assisting non-profit organizations that offer outstanding services to the community; one third of that amount is then voted upon by the bank’s customers. According to Thomas Lindner, vice-president and community relations officer for Essex Savings Bank, 6,987 votes were cast this year for a total of $29,620. By year end 2015, the total distribution of charitable funds will reach $4 million since the inception of the bank’s Community Investment Program in 1996.

Top 20 Essex Savings Bank Customer Balloting Community Investment Program Winners

(Organization—votes, award)

The Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries—701, $2,972

Forgotten Felines, Inc.—381, $1,615

Old Saybrook Fire Company Number One, Inc.— 256, $1,085

High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc.—239, $1,013

Tait’s Every Animal Matters (TEAM)—198, $839

Dog Days Adoption Events, Inc.—183, $776

The Essex Fire Engine Company No. 1—183, $776

Bikes for Kids, Inc.—173, $733

Pet Connections, Inc.—169, $716

Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, Inc. (VNLV)— 157, $666

Essex Library Association—140, $594

Camp Hazen YMCA—134, $568

Lyme Ambulance Association, Inc.—127, $538

Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, Inc.—120, $509

Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation, Inc.—120, $509

Ivoryton Library Association—116, $492

Essex Land Trust, Inc.—114, $483

Old Lyme Fire Department, Inc.—111, $471

Graduation Night, Inc.-Old Saybrook—110, $466

Bushy Hill Nature Center—109, $462