Mike Jaeger has made a lot of friends in the Stayton area. He opened the Columbia Bank branch 24 years ago in a trailer in the Roth’s parking lot and has worked tirelessly in banking and in community affairs ever since.
In fact, an astonishing 12 community members nominated Jaeger for this year’s Distinguished Service Award, which was presented to Jaeger at the 76th Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce awards celebration March 17.
The award, which replaces the traditional First Citizen category, goes to the individual “who demonstrates a posture of servant leadership which extends beyond their professional life into their personal pursuits as evidenced by a legacy of outstanding community service.”
Jaeger, a long-time Rotarian, has been leading and volunteering for various fundraisers his entire adult life, working with church programs and events as well as coaching and public speaking.
In fact, Jaeger’s community involvement has become such a part of his daily life that he has reduced his Columbia Bank hours to part-time, mainly working with business clients on commercial lending.
“Columbia Bank is very supportive of its managers being involved in the communities in which we serve,” said Jaeger, 62, who has been in banking for 42 of those years. “This has given me latitude to be involved on many boards and community causes over the years. It is always a challenge to manage both my work and activity in the community. However, we value them as one and the same regarding our responsibility in our jobs here at Columbia Bank.”
Jaeger said that in addition to the workplace support, his faith and his family have been indispensable components of his ability to serve.
“I truly believe God has given each of us special gifts and talents in our lives, and our job is to recognize these and to use them for the benefit of others, for His glory,” he said. “I am convinced that the strongest desire in each human is the need to feel valued, and by reaching out and using one’s talents to their fullest, we feel valued. I’ve found the more we give in life, the more we get in return. That’s just the way it works.”
In his acceptance speech Jaeger praised his wife, Katie, for the sacrifices she has made for the family. She set aside her teaching career to help raise the couple’s six kids and “she tirelessly worked in the trenches taking care of all the mundane stuff like making meals for our kids, and often the entire teen community, endlessly washing clothes, helping with homework, holding down the fort, while I was away – often three or four nights a week – at community events or board meetings.
“In our family it is God first, family second and community third. It has been said that as the family goes, goes the community, goes the world. We truly believe this.”
Also nominated for the award were Denise Busch and Mary Lou Hazelwood.
