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MCPHERSON, KS, Jan. 16, 2019 – The McPherson Mortgage Center of Gateway Mortgage Group, a full-service mortgage company licensed in 40 states and the District of Columbia, donated $2,500 to Steps to End Poverty of McPherson County (StepMC). The funds given were through the company’s annual Charity Challenge which allows Gateway Mortgage Centers to help make a difference in their community.

“The cycle of poverty is hard to overcome without community support,” said Don Pennington, location manager of Gateway’s McPherson Mortgage Center. “Gateway wants to strengthen families and giving them tools to achieve affluence is one of the best ways to accomplish that goal.  STEPMC was chosen as the recipient of the donation because their program is driven by a single goal; to walk alongside people until they are out of poverty by forming a community around those in their program.”

StepMC goes beyond providing basic needs. The nonprofit forms a community around the people in its program to foster connections and create pathways to opportunity and success.

StepMC Interim Director Sandy Hunter said the organization tailors its program to individual needs, creating appropriate steps along the way, such as revising a resume, attending a financial education course or getting a degree.

“Gateway’s generous donation will allow us to empower more people to overcome poverty,” said Sandy Hunter, Director of STEPMC. “We’ve graduated over 30 families out of poverty into the middle class. That equates to a multi-million-dollar impact on our community. We are excited to help change even more lives in the future.”

Gateway’s Charity Challenge rewards the highest-ranking Mortgage Centers in several key performance metrics by giving donations to nonprofits of their choice. Four Mortgage Centers received the honor: Ada, Oklahoma; Stillwater, Oklahoma; McPherson, Kansas; and Matagorda, Texas. The Mortgage Centers will donate a total of $30,000 to support multiple nonprofits, including homeless shelters, food pantries, organizations dedicated to ending poverty and after-school programs.

About Gateway First Bank 

Gateway First Bank is a leading financial institution that provides banking and mortgage services for consumers and commercial customers. Headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma, Gateway is a $1.9 billion asset sized bank with a strong mortgage operation.  Gateway is one of the largest banking and mortgage operations in the United States with six bank branches in Oklahoma, over 160 mortgage centers in 42 states, and almost 1,600 employees.  Learn more at www.GatewayFirst.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender (NMLS 7233)

Follow Gateway First on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GatewayFirstBank/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/gatewayfirst/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/Gateway1st).