Employees assembled reading buddy kits to support children in military-connected families
In recognition of Veterans Day, U.S. Bank employees recently joined colleagues from alliance partner Edward Jones and community partner United Way of Greater St. Louis for an afternoon of service supporting military-connected children and families in the St. Louis community.
Volunteers from both financial institutions gathered at Edward Jones’ headquarters on Nov. 2 to assemble 250 Financial Education Reading Buddy Kits. Funding from the U.S. Bank Community Affairs team helped bring the initiative to life, with each kit pairing a teddy bear dressed in a military uniform with a children’s financial education book and healthy snack, creating a fun and approachable way to encourage reading and begin building financial knowledge and confidence.
The kits will benefit families served by H.E.R.O.E.S Care and Veterans Community Project, two St. Louis-area nonprofits supporting veterans and military families.
The volunteer event, organized by U.S. Bank’s Community Impact and Inclusion team, brought employees from U.S. Bank and Edward Jones together around a shared commitment to service and community. For Edward Jones, the event also demonstrated how the organizations’ partnership can create an impact beyond the work they do together.
“Veterans Day gives us another opportunity to reflect on what service means and then put that spirit into practice,” said Bryan Bolton, operations executive at U.S. Bank and advisor to the bank’s St. Louis Proud To Serve business resource group chapter.
Last year, U.S. Bank and Edward Jones launched an alliance to bring U.S. Bank deposit and credit card products to Edward Jones clients, allowing them to manage banking, credit card and investment accounts in one place. The industry-leading capabilities and digital solution earned American Banker’s 2026 Innovation of the Year Award.
“Partnerships like this allow us to strengthen relationships, bring people together around a shared purpose and partner for positive impact in the communities we serve,” said Lance Perry, principal at Edward Jones and co-lead of the company’s Military Business Resource Group.
Together, the volunteers turned an afternoon of service into 250 opportunities to support local military families and help young readers build skills that can serve them well into the future.
"This event shows what our alliance with Edward Jones means beyond the products we deliver together,” said Sumon Miah, U.S. Bank lead for the Edward Jones alliance program. “Our teams serve the same clients and the same communities, and doing that side by side builds the trust that makes the partnership work.”
U.S. Bank employees join honor flight mission
U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management employees Ashley Hernandez and US Navy Veteran Michael Fleischhauer last month participated as guardians in Honor Flight Mission 59, a group that included one 103-year-old World War II veteran, one Korean War veteran, 69 Vietnam War veterans, two Gulf War veterans and three other veterans.
U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management also helped recognize the veterans by providing a U.S. Bank Salute to Veterans Challenge Coin for each veteran on the mission.
Traveling by escorted buses, the group visited the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial and World War II Memorial. At Arlington National Cemetery, they watched the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and also visited the Air Force Memorial. When the group returned to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, the veterans and guardians were greeted by a heroes’ parade of more than 1,000 people, including veterans, family members, friends, honor guards, police and firefighters, military personnel and members of Congress.
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