Community Events - 2023

Giving Back

My Time Inc
16th Annual Gala and “Fun”Draiser


My Time is a new community partner for RBB and we are happy to join their mission to support, educate, enlighten, and uplift parents of a child diagnosed with autism and developmental disabilities to live a life they deserve in their community.

Sam Lee, Branch Manager at Flushing South, attended the event which featured a night of celebration and honored the parents, grandparents, and caregivers of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Sam was also able to meet and talk to some great nonprofit organizations about the work that they do.



Ideal CDC

Transforming Our Community Gala


December bulletin - ideal gala - group pic

Community partner, IDEAL CDC, hosted their annual Transforming Our Community Gala which was a night of celebration and recognition of community partners. The team attending this event included Mona Fontela, Randy Maroun, Isaac Pleitez, Rosie Flores (Cash Management), Raina Tang (Human Resources), and Faye Peng (Human Resources).



ChiPs for Kids
Toy Drive


ChiPs for kids is an annual Christmas Toy Drive for low income children. In partnership with the California Highway Patrol, RBB was able to donate $1,000 worth of gift cards to families and children in need this Holiday Season! The team attending this event included Mona Fontela and Randy Maroun.



American Red Cross
Blood Drive


December bulletin - blood drive - full room

In partnership with the American Red cross, Royal Business Bank hosted a Blood Drive this Holiday season at our Downtown LA office! Together, we were able to save 84 lives!



Ideal CDC

Adopt a Family


During this holiday season, RBB sponsored 10 low-income families by providing $500 in gift cards to each family! IDEAL CDC works very closely with families in the community and with their help, we were able to bless 10 families with some joy this Christmas.



Sycamores 

Toy Drive


december bulletin - toy drive - cra team
 
Sycamores is a new community partner for RBB and we are happy to support their services. The mission at Sycamores is to cultivate hope and resilience to enrich the well-being of children, adults, families, and communities in the Foster Care system. Our branches and departments donated toys for the Foster children of Sycamores. 

CRA Resource Exchange
Creating Connections Event


On an annual basis CREX seeks to bring together the nonprofit and banking communities through CREX rapid pitch sessions where bankers and nonprofits meet quite informally to discuss the feasibility of projects or programs.

Mona Fontela participated in this event where non-profit organizations were given an overview of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and how we can collaborate. These organizations then went around the room visiting various bank representatives where they received information on their CRA program and information on lending products.



Field Trip/Shark Tank Activity


November bulletin - shark tank - David Morris

November bulletin - shark tank - Gary Fan

November bulletin - shark tank - group

On Wednesday, November 29th, Royal Business Bank hosted a field trip for 12th grade students from Miguel Contreras High School. Students were able to learn about various aspects of banking such as mortgage loans, credit, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Human Resources, and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Students came up with a product and had to develop a logo, business plan, and marketing strategy. They then had to present their idea in front of four judges who gave them feedback.



Junior Achievement Of Southern California
Finance Park


November bulletin - finance park - class group pic

At Junior Achievement’s Finance Park, volunteers lead students through a simulation where they are “adults for a day” and have to make financial and budgeting decisions. Volunteers help students through the budgeting process while sharing their own experiences and advice. The team participating in this Activity included: Angela Mae de Vera and Raina Tang.



IDEAL CDC & RBB
Thanksgiving Food Drive


November bulletin - ideal food drive - food bags

In partnership with IDEAL CDC. RBB hosted a food drive to help feed low-income families and provide them with a Thanksgiving Meal. It is because of employees' generous and kind donation, we were able to prepare upwards of 130 Food Bags for families in need during the Thanksgiving Holiday! 



Hope Center CLC
Financial Education Workshop


November bulletin - cpc workshop - audience pic 1

William Wong and Sam Lee presented to Chinese-American Planning Councils older constituents in New York County. They provided information on Investments and Retirement. They continued their workshop by discussing FDIC Insurance, Deposit vs Wealth Management, and identity fraud.



Hawaii Goodwill
Financial Literacy Workshop


Marvin Morales and Lori Lum delivered Financial Literacy workshops to constituents of Goodwill Hawaii. Marvin used his career expertise to present a workshop in Credit cards. He went over how they work and how to properly manage your Credit Card. Lori also used her expertise to deliver a workshop on Financial Wellness where she went over different financial products, services, providers, and how to open accounts.



IDEAL CDC
Small Business Conference


november bulletin - Ideal CDC - SB conference
 
IDEAL CDC hosted their Business Conference in early November. It was an immersive experience, uniting industry experts, thought leaders, and successful entrepreneurs eager to share their insights and strategies for taking their businesses to the next level.

Rosie Flores used her career expertise and participated as a speaker for the Business Banking and How to Prepare for Future Challenges panels. Isaac and Randy also attended the event as support for the workshops while also providing support to those with questions throughout the event.

America Saves
LA Saves Tabling Event

 
America Saves is a nationwide initiative that helps motivate low-to-moderate income households save money, reduce debt, and build wealth.

Isaac Pleitez and Randy Maroun are team leaders for the LA Saves campaign and were joined by Rosie Flores for both tabling events at Harbor City and Arroyo Seco Libraries. During the tabling they informed people of ways they can save money and offered helpful tips they can apply to their daily lives.



Field Trip/Shark Tank Activity

 
On Wednesday, October 25th, Royal Business Bank hosted a field trip for 12th grade students from Animo Jackie Robinson High. Students were able to learn about various aspects of banking such as mortgage loans, credit, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).

Students came up with a product and had to develop a logo, business plan, and marketing strategy. They then had to present their idea in front of four judges who gave them feedback.



Pacific Asian Consortium In Employment
47th Annual Gala


October bulletin - pace gala

PACE is a long-time community partner for RBB and we are happy to join their mission to be a community development organization that creates economic solutions to meet the challenges of employment, education, housing, the environment and business development for low income residents in the Pacific Asian and other diverse communities.

Randy Maroun and Isaac Pleitez attended PACE’s annual gala, Sounds of Solidarity, in celebration of their success this past year. The night included awards for distinguished honorees and live performances from special guests.



Junior Achievement Of Southern California
Finance Park Activity


October bulletin - finance park - group

At Junior Achievement’s Finance Park, volunteers lead students through a simulation where they are “adults for a day” and have to make financial and budgeting decisions. Volunteers help students through the budgeting process while sharing their own experiences and advice.

The team participating in this Activity included: Peter Tam, Gary Fan, Isaac Pleitez, Randy Maroun, Aaron Guan, Mimi Choi, Mia Wang, and Eileen Yi.



Youth Business Alliance
Financial Education Workshop


October bulletin - yba - Isaac workshop

Isaac Pleitez and Randy Maroun delivered the final workshop for Animo Compton Charter School as part of their Financial Literacy Series in partnership with Youth Business Alliance.

Isaac and Randy conducted a workshop on How to Buy a Car where they went over important information for first time Carbuyers. They went over what to look for when shopping, different financing options, and expenses to look forward to when owning/leasing a car.



Hope Center CLC
Financial Education Workshop


Aaron Guan presented to Hope CLC’s LMI constituents who are first time or interested in being first time homebuyers.

Aaron provided information on the Home Mortgage and Application Process, Credit Score, Preparing for Homeownership, and on Private Mortgage Insurance/Down Payment Assistance Programs.



IDEAL CDC

Small Business Committee


IDEAL CDC provides a wide array of financial literacy programs and services. Part of their Small Business curriculum includes an in-person Business Conference which will go over topics like: How to Grow Your Business, Marketing, Financial Planning, and more.

As part of the Small Business Committee, Mona Fontela, Rosie Flores, and Randy Maroun attended a meeting in preparation of the event.



Unite LA

25th Anniversary Symposium


October bulletin - unite-la - rosie flores

Unite LA is a great community partner for RBB and we are happy to support their programs and services that advance economic mobility and well-being through collaboration that strengthens systems, policies, and high-quality education and career
pathways.

Rosie Flores attended Unite LA’s 25th Anniversary Symposium which was a celebration of the organizations success and offered a glimpse into what is to come for them.

FDIC: Los Angeles Alliance for Economic Inclusion
Building Bridges


september bulletin - FDIC AEI Meeting

As members of the Alliance for Economic Inclusion, Isaac and Randy, joined by Jack Leung, participated in the Building Bridges Event for Financial Institutions and Non-Profit organizations.

During this event, non-profit organizations were given an overview of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and how we can collaborate. These organizations then went around the room visiting various bank representatives where they received information on their CRA program and information on lending products, including Small Business.



Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada
Finance Park


september bulletin - randy

Isaac, Randy and Nikki participated in JA Finance Park to help students navigate the world of personal finances as they assume the role of “adult for the day”. Volunteers mentored groups of students throughout the day and helped them create a monthly budget while making decisions regarding housing, transportation, insurance, savings, entertainment expenses, etc.

Second Chance Orange County

Interviewing Skills Class


second chance workshop

Second Chance of Orange County helps low-income individuals recovering from drug/alcohol addiction and/or experiencing homelessness become productive members of society by providing individualized support services.

Isaac Pleitez helped with the Interviewing Skills Class at the Carnegie/Redhill Homeless shelter.



Center For Financial Empowerment

Financial Capability Summit 2023


CFE financial capability summit

The Los Angeles County Center for Financial Empowerment (CFE) enhances financial capability by educating and empowering consumers to make informed financial choices.

Randy Maroun and Isaac Pleitez attended the 2023 Financial Capability Summit which serves as an opportunity for the County of Los Angeles, along with partners, to share the latest efforts and tools used to help our financially vulnerable community members.

Junior Achievement Of Southern California

Finance Park Activity


july bulletin - finance park dan and aaron

At Junior Achievement's Finance Park, volunteers led students through a simulation where they were "adults for a day" and had to make financial and budgeting decisions. Volunteers helped students through the budgeting process while sharing their own experiences and advice.

The volunteer team for this activity included Dan Watanabe, Aaron Guan, and Isaac Pleitez.



Hope Center CLC
Financial Education Workshops


july bulletin - mona workshop

Mona Fontela delivered two workshops for Hope Center CLC during their 6-Week Summer Series for underserved youth in Cook County, Illinois. Mona conducted a virtual workshop on Income and expenses where she went over the kinds of income there are and the types of expenses to expect. Mona also presented a workshop on creating a Spending & Saving Plan with tips on how to make a monthly spending and saving plan that aligns with their income.



Financial Education Workshop


The bank conducts financial education workshop to our summer interns. The participating departments provide a very informative workshop on different banking related topics, such as commercial loan servicing, underwriting, funding, and monitoring; Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML); significance of credit reports and credit scores; SBA Loan Programs; and etc.

Junior Achievement Of Southern California

Finance Park


may bulletin - ja - group pic

At Junior Achievement's Finance Park, volunteers led students through a simulation where they were "adults for a day" and had to make financial and budgeting decisions. Volunteers helped students through the budgeting process while sharing their own experiences and advice.

The volunteer team for this activity included Dan Watanabe, Peter Tam, Rosie Flores, Isaac Pleitez, Aaron Guan, and Randy Maroun.

Shark Tank Activity


april bulletin - shark tank 1

april bulletin - shark tank 2

On Thursday, April 20th, Royal Business Bank hosted a field trip for 12th grade students from Contreras Business & Tourism High School. Students were able to learn about various aspects of banking such as mortgage loans, credit, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Students came up with a product and had to develop a logo, business plan, and marketing strategy. They then had to present their idea in front of four judges who gave them feedback.

Unite LA

Mock Interview


0223 Mock Interview

Randy and Isaac participated in Mock Interview Events at Huntington Park HS and Roosevelt HS. Volunteers helped student with resume building and interviewing techniques as they prepare to pursue internship/employment opportunities.



America Saves

LA Saves Tabling Event

 
America saves is a nationwide initiative that helps motivate low-to-moderate income households save money, reduce debt, and build wealth. As team leaders for the LA Saves Campaign Randy and Isaac set up a table at the Jefferson Branch library informing people of ways they can save money and offering helpful tips they can apply to their daily lives.



Junior Achievement Of Southern California

JA Finance Park


0223 ja

Aaron and Dan (RMLU Team) were joined by Randy and Isaac (CRA Team) to participate in Junior Achievement's Finance Park Activity with Huntington Park HS students. Volunteers led students through a simulation where they were "adults for a day" and had to make financial and budgeting decisions. Volunteers helped students through the budgeting process while sharing their own experiences and advice.



Ideal CDC

Financial Education Workshop


0223 ideal CDC

In partnership with IDEAL CDC, the CRA team prepared and conducted a workshop highlighting some important topics surrounding income taxes. The topics discussed included Understanding Income taxes and knowing who should file. We also provided information on why Taxes are important and provided examples of some benefits to filing your taxes. 



Ideal CDC

Bellflower High School Series


In partnership with IDEAL CDC, Randy and Isaac participated in IDEAL's High School Financial Literacy Series. This 4-week series is aimed to empower the next generation with skills and knowledge they need to make smart financial decisions. Students learned about the differences between a job, career, and entrepreneurship. We also covered the the topic of homeownership and renting. Other topics covered included information on Investments and Understanding Credit.

ChimeTV Launch Event

 
On Saturday, January 21st, the CRA team attended the launch of ChimeTV at the Japanese American Natural History Museum. ChimeTV is the first 24/7 Asian American focused cable network, delivered in English.