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Community volunteers improve Veterans’ courtyard at Cheyenne VA

First Interstate Bank employees volunteered at Cheyenne VA on Sept. 11, 2025, donating time and resources to improve Veteran spaces.
First Interstate Bank employees volunteer at Cheyenne VA, pulling weeds and staining benches to improve the outdoor area near the Veteran Experience Office.

By Jesus Flores, VISN 19 writer & editor

First Interstate Bank employees volunteered at Cheyenne VA to restore the outdoor area near the Veteran Experience Office, showing how community partnerships support Veterans.

Working together for Veterans

On September 11, 2025, more than a dozen First Interstate Bank employees volunteered at Cheyenne VA Medical Center. They donated $500 and spent 5 hours pulling weeds, staining a bench and improving the outdoor area near the Veteran Experience Office.

Their work created a more welcoming space for Veterans and their families while visiting Cheyenne VA. 

Melvin Turner, Veteran Experience Officer at Cheyenne VA, said partnerships like this are essential in caring for America’s Veterans.

“It takes a community to support our Vets,” Turner said. “VA is just one group; we need stakeholders, partners, organizations, businesses and a team.”

Turner added that community partnerships help Veterans with challenges such as food, housing, financial stability, wellness and fraud prevention, thereby expanding the support Cheyenne VA offers.

Community values in action

First Interstate Bank employees said volunteering is a way to live their values while strengthening ties with local Veterans.

“This effort is a reflection of our values in action,” said Lisa Lineen, Retail Hub Manager. “It’s an opportunity for our employees to step away from their desks and connect with the people and places that make our communities strong. We support initiatives that help communities thrive, such as financial education, affordable housing, social services, mental health care and public-private partnerships.”

Lineen added that some employees returned after the event to add new rocks and apply extra weed control, extending the improvements they started during the project.

Looking ahead

Cheyenne VA’s Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE) will continue to build partnerships that invite the community to volunteer at VA and help Veterans. 

“First Interstate Bank will support Veterans through fraud-prevention and financial wellness education this fall,” said Kelli Wood, CDCE specialist and program coordinator. “Their October #BanksNeverAsk campaign will share fraud-awareness tips on social media and their website.”

Turner said projects like this show what’s possible when VA and community partners collaborate.

“Veterans have access to an entire community’s efforts when these partnerships exist,” Turner said. “That’s how we open more doors for Veterans and their families.”

To learn more about or support CDCE, call 307-778-7326 or visit Volunteer or donate. 

Jesus Flores is a writer and editor on the VISN 19 Creative Task Force and a Marine Corps Veteran.