News You Can Use

El Paseo Bank President and Family Make Significant Commitment to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles

PALM DESERT, CA. - June 21, 2008--- Doug Allensworth, President of El Paseo Bank and wife Melissa have reached out to help area children by joining Children's Hospital of Los Angeles' First Families Legacy Program with a significant gift honoring their three-year old daughter. As members of Children Hospital's, First Families Legacy Program the couple have made a long term financial commitment to the new Children's Hospital building currently under construction in Los Angeles.

Soon after joining Children's Hospital's Desert Advisory Board three years ago, Doug and Melissa toured the Hospital. They saw first hand the importance of having a world class treatment and research facility like Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in the area. "We learned that three to four hundred children a year from the Coachella Valley are treated at Children's Hospital," explains Doug. "This was a concrete way that we could really help the Desert's children and others who come to Children's Hospital."

The couple became parents in 2006 adopting their daughter from China. "Once we had our daughter, we became passionate about giving back and this seemed to be the right organization for our family," explains Doug. The new Hospital's floors are named for geographical areas. On the Desert Floor a patient room will display the Allensworth's daughter, Emily's name on the door.

"As members of the Desert Advisory Board, the Allensworth family was asked to contribute a leadership gift that qualifies them to be an important part of our First Families Legacy Program," explains 's Leslie Nafie, Associate Vice President Major and Planned Gifts Children's Hospital Los Angeles. "They understand the specialized type of care we provide at Children's and recognized the importance of having a world class pediatric medical center close to the Coachella Valley. Their gift and involvement at Children's truly helps increase awareness in the Coachella Valley about what we do, adds Nafie.

After attending the Topping-Off Ceremony for the new building, Doug expressed his feelings on he and Melissa's contribution. "The New Children's Hospital Building is critical to the future of Children's Hospital, and it feels great to know that our family is part of it." In a further effort to support and introduce, Children's Hospital to the Coachella Valley, El Paseo Bank donated the use of its suite at the 2008 Pacific Life Open to Children's Hospital to help raise awareness about the services it provides children and their families.

In addition to a 31-year career in banking, Doug serves on the Board of Directors of Desert Community Foundation and the Coachella Valley chapter of the First Tee, a program dedicated to providing area youth of all backgrounds with opportunity to learn the game of golf.

El Paseo Bank has become one of Palm Desert's premier locally owned and operated banks. What's more, the impressive banking expertise provided by El Paseo's board of directors has been instrumental in forming this outstanding community bank. El Paseo Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western Community Bancshares, Inc., which has over $300 million in assets, with operations in California and Utah. The bank specializes in providing a broad array of financial services to local businesses and consumers.

Many customers both personal and business have come to rely on El Paseo Bank for all their banking needs and think of it as "the family office."