SANFORD — SIS Bank’s annual Corporators Meeting in March included the presentation of the bank’s President’s Awards, given to employees who have gone above and beyond during the previous calendar year. This year, awards were given to the staff of the bank’s South Sanford branch and a commercial lender at the bank’s Portsmouth, N.H. branch.

The entire South Sanford branch team earned the award for volunteerism. In 2013, all the staff there set up a program to automatically deduct money from their paychecks to form a fund to be used for donations to local charities. Causes championed by the staff included the Sanford Backpack Program, the Boy Scouts and the Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief fund for children who are victims of war, poverty, hunger and disease. Their most recent donation was given to a local family in need of fuel assistance, and their efforts caused a ripple effect of support.

First, the senior management team at SIS offered to help another family by matching the staff’s original donation. Then, a local business person, who chose to remain anonymous, also matched the original donation so that a third local family in need could receive a donation of $300 in fuel.

Tina Gagne, a commercial lender at the bank’s Portsmouth branch, earned the award for business development. Gagne helped the bank exceed its commercial lending goals during its inaugural year in New Hampshire.