Service to others is a unifying force that brings people together. It can take many forms, whether it be participating in local community service or serving your country, service means rising to the occasion for others. This sentiment is championed at The Bancorp and is shared by colleagues through Employees That Serve (ETS) – an Employee Resource Group (ERG) that was built on the foundational values of military members and first responders and promotes the core values of service within the Company and in our surrounding communities. ETS is for all employees who provide and value service regardless of title or status. Though my official role at The Bancorp falls within the Financial Crimes Risk Management department, I earned the opportunity to hold another valuable position within the Company as a co-chair of this ERG that’s committed to service.

As a veteran with over a decade of public service, becoming a member of ETS and taking on the role as co-chair was a logical step after joining The Bancorp in early 2020. Being a full-time remote employee, I understood interactions with colleagues outside of my department would be a challenging task, but I believe values should and can extend beyond an in-office presence. Through The Bancorp’s Diversity and Inclusion Program, ERGs help connect colleagues who may otherwise not interact, and unite them through common experiences, cultures, and subjects that matter to employees. There are a variety of groups offered for any employee of The Bancorp to join and each provides new opportunities for questions and conversations that help enrich the Company’s culture.

For ETS, our current focus is hosting smaller volunteering events as more in-person opportunities are made available. Our first event of this year was a clothing drive that benefitted families and individuals served by Goodwill Industries and AMVets. Between our offices in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Wilmington, Delaware, The Bancorp was able to donate more than a dozen boxes during the event. This year, our ETS members based in Sioux Falls also recruited their colleagues at The Bancorp to volunteer for Lunch Is Served – an organization that provides bagged lunches to local working men and women who are attempting to break the chains of poverty and hunger. We also have ETS members based in Wilmington who participate in volunteering with the nonprofit Junior Achievement of Delaware where they educate local youth in financial literacy with a goal to instill economic empowerment. The growth of ETS is just beginning and we are planning for more events this year for employees to participate in regardless of office location.

Volunteerism is how I share my service with my family, colleagues, and community. To me, volunteerism strategically bridges different cultures and organizations and successfully unifies them to share the responsibility of serving others. At The Bancorp and through our ERGs, this type of collective commitment helps us positively impact multiple issues within a variety of communities and provides a sense of accomplishment for our employee volunteers. I believe this shows the dedication from both the Company and its employees to serve others beyond ourselves in an effort to strengthen and unite the communities where we work and live.

About Dennis Wambangco

Dennis Wambangco has over a decade of public service with the Army National Guard and Department of Veterans Affairs. He volunteered for the Global War on Terrorism, served in the district reconstruction of Afghanistan, and mentored the National Police. While serving in the National Guard, he helped develop the Police partnership to secure the humanitarian relief for grains, school supplies, and basic clothing to the villages liberated from the Taliban regime. They alleviated war-torn villages and buildings with electrical, water, farming, and municipal services. After his tour, Dennis prepared missions for disaster relief with the Illinois National Guard and trained soldiers for overseas deployments.

Dennis incorporates service to others within every circle - family, veteran community, and employment. Within his family, Dennis is a Scout leader for his children and a PTO volunteer at their school. As a Veteran, he is an Officer with the VFW, a Family Readiness Leader for the National Guard, and a representative for the Employer Support for Guard and Reserve. Dennis joined The Bancorp in early 2020 as an FCRM Investigations and Reporting Analyst II. Shortly after, he volunteered as Co-Chair for the Employees That Serve ERG. Dennis believes volunteerism strategically bridges different cultures and organizations and successfully unifies them to share the responsibility of serving others.