Seven Business Leaders, Community Members Honored at Westosha Central
PADDOCK LAKE — Community State Bank’s Neil Buchanan was one of seven honorees for the first-ever Friends of Westosha Awards presented on Tuesday (May 6) at Westosha Central High School.
The Awards honored area residents and business leaders making a positive impact on students, staff and the community.
Buchanan has volunteered at Westosha Central for over 12 years. He introduced CSB’s My Local Interactive Financial Education (MyLIFE) simulation, a financial literacy program that’s impacted over 10,000 high school and middle school students.
Other honorees included Cory and Jamie Maurer of Addicted to Deals, Mindy Cooling of State Farm Insurance, James Senft, Erin Floss and Beth LaBell.
“Awards aren’t necessarily important to me, but making a difference in these students’ lives is,” said Buchanan, CSB Senior VP | Business Banker & Cash Management. “I run into students all the time that remember me from MyLIFE events.”
MyLIFE’s popularity continues to soar. The simulation is a graduation requirement at Westosha Central.
On April 11, 2025, Westosha Central’s annual MyLIFE event attracted 340 students and a record 80 community volunteers.
“Neil is passionate and enthusiastic about financial literacy and helping students to succeed in their future,” said Julie Eckhart, head of Westosha Central Business and Marketing Department.
“His energy is contagious and he builds rapport with the students very quickly. You can always find him bouncing from station to station at the MyLife event and jumping in to help wherever needed.”
The Awards were presented during the Westosha Central High School District Board of Education monthly meeting.
Each honoree received a framed piece of custom artwork created by Westosha Central art students.
“That was really neat,” Buchanan said. “I really dug they had the connection with art students in front of the board and the community. That was such a great idea.”
For more community news, visit CSB.bank.