It might be just a coat of paint, but its impacts go a lot deeper. 

About two dozen people gathered on a warm June day to paint the outside of Randy and Virginia Nielsen’s West Valley City home.

It was part of Zions Bank’s 32nd-annual Paint-a-Thon, where local employees of the bank donate their time and efforts to spruce up selected area homes with a new layer of paint. 

The Nielsens were referred to Zions Bank by Salt Lake County and Adult Services, due to their status as older adults and Randy being an Air Force veteran. The couple submitted an application to the agency and a couple of weeks later were notified they were selected for the beautification effort and a crew of Zions Bank employees took it from there. 

“It is really exciting,” the Nielsens said in unison as they watched volunteers with rollers and brushes put blue paint on the siding of the house and white paint around the windows and trim, replacing the old red and yellow. “I think it’s very special that these people are really dedicated enough to do this for the seniors and veterans. They’re doing a good job,” Virginia, 71, said as she and her husband, who is 73, watched the transformation of their house from a seat in their backyard. 

Between brush strokes, Jamie Issowits, who works in Zions Bank human resources, noted this was her 15th Paint-a-Thon. “We’re really fortunate to work for an organization that supports the community. It’s actually one of our guiding principles to give back to the communities that we serve.” 

“Most of us look forward to it every year to come out and meet new people in the community that have a need to beautify their home, and we’re able to fulfill that need,” she added. 

In the sun-bathed front of the house, fellow Zions Bank volunteer Marc Nadauld stood atop a ladder applying paint to wood structures above the home’s entrance. “We get to work with our friends and colleagues and have a little bonding, and the best thing is we’re doing a good deed for somebody.” He has participated in the Paint-a-Thon almost since it began more than three decades ago. 

Since Paint-a-Thon was launched in 1991, more than 1,300 homes in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming have been painted by Zions Bank employees outside of regular work hours. The bank has donated more than $1.4 million in materials toward beautifying homes in the three states, not counting the value of hours put in by volunteers. Besides painting, bank team members also clean up yards, trim trees, mow, plant and do minor repairs for homeowners. 

“Hopefully, lots of other people in the community see that and everybody will go pitch in and help somebody out,” Nadauld said. λ