Citizens National Bank’s Wealth Management Presents Grant Money to Local Non-Profits

Citizens National Bank’s Wealth Management has announced the awarding of $250,030 in grant distributions to area non-profit organizations since December of 2020.

Of this amount, $87,510 was distributed in March 2021 to the following non-profits:  Care Lodge, Multi-County Community Service Agency, L.O.V.E.’s Kitchen, Lauderdale County Habitat for Humanity, Mississippi Special Olympics, Greater New Orleans Foundation, Boy Scouts of America (Disadvantaged Campers Fund), Catholic Charities, the American Red Cross Southeast Chapter, The Salvation Army of Meridian, The Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi, Hope Village for Children, The Free Clinic of Meridian, New Destiny Daycare & Learning Academy, and Meridian Freedom Project & Wesley House Community Center.

LaBaron Hedgemon of New Destiny Day Care and Abby Miller from Care Lodge visited Citizens National Bank today to celebrate the awarding of these funds to all of the non-profits.  The Bank opted not to have its annual press conference with a large gathering of attendees in an effort to take every health safety precaution.

The W. R. Baird Charitable Trust

The W. R. Baird Charitable Trust was established in 1978 by William Robert Baird with less than $200,000 and, as of March 2021, is now worth over $5.9 million.  In his Last Will and Testament, Baird requested that the income from his charitable trust account be used to support persons, institutions, and organizations which serve those in need in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Baird was born in 1902 in Jackson, Louisiana, and his early career included a position as a traveling salesman for Congoleum Rug Company of New Orleans.  In 1930, he became a salesman for New Orleans Manufacturing Company, making his headquarters in Meridian, where he married Elizabeth Gulley Hall in 1938.   While serving as Vice President for the company, Baird and his wife moved several times around Louisiana and Mississippi.  The couple moved back to Meridian in 1969, when their home in Pass Christian was destroyed by Hurricane Camille.

Baird, who lived to be 76 years old, had become President of the New Orleans Manufacturing Company in 1966 and was serving as Chairman of the Board at the time of his death in 1978.

Since 1981, over $6 million in distributions have been made from the Baird Charitable Trust, which is managed by Citizens National Bank.

Founded in 1888, Citizens National Bank is currently celebrating 133 years of service as an independent, Mississippi-owned community bank with locations in the following Mississippi communities: Meridian, Philadelphia, Quitman, Ridgeland, Madison, Flowood, Hattiesburg, Laurel, Waynesboro, Columbus, Macon, Kosciusko, Carthage, Olive Branch, and Southaven.

The Bank has assets in excess of $1.5 billion and manages over $1.5 billion in its Wealth Management Division, which is committed to assisting clients with the accumulation, preservation, and transfer of wealth.  Learn more about Citizens National Bank by visiting www.yourcnb.com.