STORY AND PHOTOS BY MALCOLM HONG

A Hailey house received a makeover this week – one of 36 homes to get a fresh coat of paint and a landscaping lift during Zions Bank’s 31st annual Paint-a-Thon.

Nearly 20 volunteers, including local bank employees and their family members,transformed the home’s fence with new paint. The home is owned by ARCH Community Housing and

has been used as an affordable housing unit since it was donated by Caroline and Dave Woodham in 2015.

Thanks to affordable rents, the first two families who rented the home were able to move to market rate housing. 

Along with beautifying neighborhoods, the Paint-a-Thon project aims to help older adults, people with disabilities and veteran homeowners take pride in their homes and maintain their independence. Throughout the week, more than 2,200 volunteers volunteered to clean, scrape and paint homes in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

In addition to painting, Zions employees provide yard clean-up, pruning, mowing, planting and performing minor repairs as needed by homeowners. The cost for paint and supplies is contributed by Zions Bank.

  The average age of this year’s homeowner is 76, with an average yearly income of $31,600.  Projects completed during the annual week-long event were selected with the assistance of nominations from the public, state housing agencies, community organizations and local churches.

“Paint-a-Thon has become a cherished annual tradition as we help our neighbors spruce up their homes and yards,” said Zions employee and Paint-a-Thon team captain Brianna Waddell. “As Zions Bank marks its 150th anniversary in 2023, this project is at the heart of who we are as a company and is part of our ongoing commitment to create value in the communities we serve.”

Launched in 1991, Zions Bank’s Paint-a-Thon began as a volunteer project for a dozen homes along Utah’s Wasatch Front. Over the three decades, Zions Bank employees have set aside summer pastimes for a week each year volunteering in the evenings after work to paint 1,287 homes throughout Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

Not counting the dollar value of volunteer hours through the years, the bank has donated more than $1.44 million toward beautifying homes in the three states.