Lacey Prentice

If Lacey Prentice of Sallisaw reaches her goal by the end of May of raising $1,000 for a food drive sponsored by her place of employment, she will get “pied!” she says laughing.

“Yea, we’re involved in a fundraiser which supports local food banks and the pie-in-the-face is one of the ways we raise money. Arvest Bank has sponsored the food drive for about 13 years,” Prentice said. “We have one guy who will be reaching his goal soon and he’ll get pied soon.”

Prentice, who has been working for Arvest over six years ago, began as a teller and is now the branch sales manager. She provides customer service and develops good employee relations and helps to provide a “good” working environment for the other employees as part of her job, she said.

Currently, during the months of April and May, the bank employees are involved in several fundraising projects with all proceeds benefitting local food banks.

“That fundraiser is called Million Meals. The fundraisers we have benefit the community and I believe it’s one of the main things that makes me appreciate my job here so much,” Prentice said.

Prentice was born and raised in Marble City. She later graduated from Central High School then decided to enroll at NSU in Tahlequah.

“I changed my major six times while I was in college because I could not decide on one. I didn’t think that one day I would be working for a bank because I didn’t think I had the personality,” she said.

“But I was also a single mom raising a daughter so I decided I just needed to go to work. Now I’m just thankful for the opportunity I had when I began working here and what the job has led me to,” she said.

“Since I began working here, I’ve made so many friends. My co-workers are not only my best friends but they’re more like family to me. I think it’s the best part about working here,” she said.

Prentice said when she is not working and especially on weekends, she enjoys spending time with her daughter. She also enjoys going to concerts and taking road trips with her boyfriend, Rob, and playing darts, pool or anything the two can compete against one another.

“I try to do a lot of things I’ve just always wanted to do. I love to travel,” she said. “Growing up in Marble City most of my summer was spent outdoors, swimming, fishing and catching crawdads! “What’s so funny is my daughter, Grace, is 11, and her favorite thing to do is shop. Most of our time is spent going to Tulsa, Fort Smith and other cities to shop. We’ve had very different childhoods,” she said, smiling. “But we have a good time.”

Prentice said she loves her life in Sequoyah County. “I’m still an outdoorsy person. I enjoy going to the lakes and rivers,” she said.

“I love living in Sallisaw because I’m close to my job and everywhere else. I’m currently enrolled in the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class and my daughter enjoys going with me to all the events I attend. We’re both looking forward to Diamond Daze and other upcoming events in town. “Living here in town, we can just about walk to any place. I think it’s just the best place to live,” she said.

Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie Remer or Lynn McCulley at 918-775-4433.