Farmers & Merchants Bank Sponsors Summer Stage Country Concert Benefiting Pathways to Independence

Long Beach, CA, May 18, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Get your honky-tonk on with Farmers & Merchants Bank (F&M) this Memorial Day weekend to benefit Pathways to Independence, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education, healthcare, therapy and mentoring for young women victimized by abuse and neglect. Hosted by “Friends of Pathways” at McKenna’s on the Bay, the May 27 event will include delicious down-home barbecue prepped by McKenna’s and cooked by the Long Beach Fire Department and performances by Gold Rush Country and The Hollywood Yates Band.

Pathways to Independence provides tools and resources to young women who have been abused and neglected by their families and society, providing a network of volunteers who support them while they work, attend college and learn to be self-reliant.

Providing assistance to women has long been a priority for F&M dating back multiple generations, when Carrie Z. Walker, wife of F&M founder and president C.J. Walker, started a support group in Long Beach to assist abandoned women.

Preceding the live performances, K-FROG will be on hand to play the hottest new country tunes while guests dance, socialize and enjoy a bevy of delicious food and drink options.

The 21-and-over event takes place on Sunday, May 27 from 4-9 pm at McKenna’s on the Bay (190 N. Marina Drive) in Long Beach. Ticketing options include general admission and outdoor barbecue or VIP dinner at McKenna’s or Buster’s, a nearby eatery and bar. To purchase tickets, visit https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/PathwaystoIndependence/OnlineEvent.html.

About Farmers & Merchants Bank

Founded in Long Beach in 1907 by C.J. Walker, Farmers & Merchants Bank has 21 branches in L.A. and Orange counties. The Bank specializes in commercial and small business banking along with business loan programs. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach is a California state chartered bank with deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (Member FDIC) and an Equal Housing Lender. For more information about F&M, please call the media contacts listed or visit the website, www.fmb.com.

Member FDIC

About Pathways to Independence

The mission of Pathways to Independence is to foster profound and productive changes in the lives of young women in Long Beach and Orange County who have been traumatized by their family and abandoned by society. The 501(c)(3) organization achieves this by providing the women in its program with the emotional and fiscal support needed to reach their goal of graduating college, finding a job and becoming contributing members of society. Additional information is available at www.pathwaystoindependence.org.