BY MALCOLM HONG

A Hailey home used by The Advocates received a makeover this past week as a part of Zions Bank’ annual Paint-a-Thon service project.

Dozens of Zions bankers are rolling up their sleeves and rolling paint on the walls for homes and non-profit organizations across Idaho and Utah.

In Hailey, Zions bankers helped paint, landscape and clean a home used by The Advocates to host survivors of domestic violence. In this 34th year of Paint-a-Thon, more than 1,200 Zions employees will be volunteering at both homes and non-profit organizations. In total, 29 homes and non-profits will be receiving a fresh coat of paint and a refresh of their landscaping.

“We look forward to participating in Paint-a-Thon every summer,” said Zions Bank project leader Adriana Gutierrez Ambriz. “It reinvigorates homeowners and livens non-profits, and those benefits extend out into the communities surrounding these homes and facilities.”

“We’re grateful to Zions Bank for their help with painting and landscaping,” added The Advocates CEO Tricia Swartling. “A fresh coat of paint and clean-up creates a healing environment which greatly benefits our clients.”

Paint-a-Thon aims to help older adults, people with disabilities and veteran homeowners take pride in their homes and maintain their independence. With the addition of nonprofit facilities, the Paint-a-Thon project also hopes to brighten communities and raise awareness for the non-profit partners’ missions.

Projects to be 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.

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 1,331 homes and non-profits throughout Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

Not counting the dollar value of volunteer hours through the years, the bank has donated more than $1.5 million toward beautifying communities in the three states.