June 16, 2025 – PremierBank was recently selected as one of five recipients of the Wisconsin Bankers Foundation, Inc.’s $10,000 Housing and Economic Development Grant for 2025. Grant recipients were chosen for their initiatives aimed at addressing local needs within the following categories: housing and housing literacy, economic development/community investment, and financial or cyber literacy. Initiatives must demonstrate a measurable impact and align to strengthen Wisconsin communities through meaningful outcomes that benefit both consumers and businesses.

“Financial and cyber literacy are acute needs for many individuals and businesses in our state,” said Rose Oswald Poels, WBA president and CEO. “We are proud to offer this grant opportunity to PremierBank to use in partnership with non-profit organizations to empower the Latino community and others in Janesville and Rock County communities to prevent cybersecurity threats and become financially capable to build wealth that may be passed on to future generations.”

With the grant funds, PremierBank looks forward to helping to expand financial literacy and cybersecurity fraud prevention education materials in Spanish throughout Janesville and surrounding communities in collaboration with Adelante Janesville, a program of Forward Janesville that was formed two years ago to uncover ways to better serve the Latino community, specifically by supporting Latino business owners and entrepreneurs in the Janesville area.

Adelante Janesville Program Coordinator Edward Caceres has identified a significant need for Spanish-language financial literacy among organizations whose workforces are composed of more than 50% English Language Learners (ELLs) of Hispanic descent. “Over the past several months, a growing number of Rock County businesses employing primarily Spanish-speaking workers have reached out to Adelante Janesville for support in providing financial education,” Caceres said. “They’re looking for help with topics such as budgeting, credit counseling, cybersecurity, and understanding the safety and reliability of the U.S. banking system.”

Silvia Donday-Selenske, PremierBank’s bilingual loan officer and current chair of Adelante Janesville, recommended that, if PremierBank were selected to receive a grant, the funds will be used to support financial literacy initiatives in the Janesville area. “The Latino community is the fastest-growing minority population in Janesville and Rock County,” said Donday-Selenske. A native of Venezuela and a career banker, she understands the skepticism many Hispanic/Latino individuals feel toward the U.S. banking system. She has also witnessed firsthand how this population is especially vulnerable to fraud and often targeted by scammers. Donday-Selenske is committed to helping bridge that trust gap through education and outreach.

By providing financial literacy and cybersecurity fraud prevention education in Spanish, this effort partly funded by grant funds will help overcome language barriers that often prevent individuals from fully understanding critical financial concepts and the importance of safeguarding their financial information.

Rock County bilingual professionals who have an interest in volunteering to help with financial literacy efforts, or who would like to learn more, are encouraged to contact Forward Janesville’s Adelante Janesville Latino Outreach Program at forward@forwardjanesville.com or 608-757-3160.

Photo caption for image above:
Pictured from left to right: Silvia Donday-Selenske, VP, Bilingual Lender, PremierBank; Kathy Rolfs, VP, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, PremierBank; Heather MacKinnon, Attorney and VP of Legal and Communications, Wisconsin Bankers Association; Jose Massas-Caraballo, Owner, Massas Investments; Edward Caceres, Outreach Coordinator, Adelante Janesville; Shar Hermanson, President and CEO, Forward Janesville.

About PremierBank
PremierBank was established over 160 years ago in 1863 and remains a locally owned community bank that prides itself on building strong partnerships with the businesses and residents in Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth counties. PremierBank is committed to serving its customers with personalized service and convenient financial products as a trusted financial partner. With $549 million in assets, PremierBank has nine convenient office locations in Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth Counties, including a full-service Wealth Management division. For more information, visit bankwithpremier.com.

About Wisconsin Bankers Foundation, Inc. (WBF)
Wisconsin Bankers Foundation, Inc.’s mission is to promote financial literacy and capability to the public and to broaden consumer empowerment in the financial services industry through education, scholarships, grants, and research. The Foundation assists consumers by providing information that will help them make sound choices about financial products, by awarding scholarships to advance the education of students, offering grants to other financial education-focused non-profit organizations, and performing research. For more information, visit: WisBankFoundation.org.