Bank Leader, Driven by Adversity, Helps Foster Children Succeed

Viviana Frias, Consumer Banking Manager in Orlando, Fla., receives Regions Bank’s top associate honor for giving a voice to abandoned children.

Viviana Frias was born in the Dominican Republic. Soon after, one event became a defining moment in her life. “When I was one year old, my mother left me on my father’s doorstep with a note.”

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Viviana Frias receives Regions Bank’s top associate honor for giving a voice to abandoned children. (Photo: Business Wire)

When Frias was 2, her father married a woman who happily raised Frias as her own. The family later moved to the United States to provide better opportunities for their children.

“I’m able to be who I am today because of my adopted mom. I don’t know where my life would be without her. She raised a 2-year-old who wasn’t hers,” said Frias. “She made sure I felt loved, got a good education and became a responsible, hard-working person. I’ve been extremely blessed. And I think that’s an understatement.”

Frias, a Consumer Banking Manager for Regions Bank in Orlando, knows that all children’s stories don’t end like hers. That’s why she volunteers as a fund raiser, event organizer and mentor for Community Based Care of Central Florida (CBCCF), a nonprofit organization that serves children through foster care, adoption and youth transitional services.

“I was abandoned; but thankfully, I did not end up in the system. I had a loving and caring gift of a person who walked into my life and gave me a chance to have a bright future,” Frias said. “When I look at these kids, it hits home. They are in this situation through no fault of their own. I want to do all I can to help.”

Frias organizes an annual luggage drive to give foster children a place to put their belongings when they move from home to home. She coordinates toy and clothing drives so foster families can provide holiday gifts to children they take into their homes during the month of December. Frias also teaches financial education classes for teens aging out of the foster system.

Citing her passion for helping foster children, Regions Bank today announced that Frias is the September 2017 recipient of the Regions Bank Better Life Award. The Better Life Award is the top honor given to a Regions associate for outstanding dedication and job performance, as well as exemplary involvement and commitment to the community.

In addition to the recognition, Regions donates $1,000 in the name of the recipient to a nonprofit organization of the winner’s choice. Frias chose CBCCF, because of her work with the organization.

Frias is expecting her third child in October, and has greater plans after that.

“After our baby is born, my husband and I are looking to adopt. It’s important to us to give back in that sense, to pass it forward,” Frias says. “I want to let foster children know that the circumstances they’ve been dealt are not their fault. With love and care, they can become a success.”

To learn more about Frias and her passion for her family, her customers and her community, watch this video on the Regions Financial YouTube channel.

About The Better Life Award

The Better Life Award is presented monthly to a Regions associate who lives the company’s mission to make life better for customers, associates and the communities Regions serves, and who is an example of the company’s values:

Put People First
Do What Is Right
Focus On Your Customer
Reach Higher
Enjoy Life

Regions associates are nominated for the award by their managers and peers. Regions Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Grayson Hall honors recipients at the company’s headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, at a meeting broadcast to offices throughout the communities Regions serves. In addition to the recognition, associates who earn the Better Life Award receive an additional week of vacation, a crystal award, and a $1,000 donation is made in their name to the nonprofit organization of their choice.

About Regions Financial Corporation

Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $125 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, mortgage and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,500 banking offices and 1,900 ATMs. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170913005161/en/

Regions Financial CorporationJeremy D. King, 205-264-4551jeremyd.king@regions.comRegions News Online: regions.doingmoretoday.comRegions News on Twitter: @RegionsNews

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