Twelve winners will receive a birthday party package at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield

FLORENCE—To commemorate 150 years in business, Florence Bank is drawing on its partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield to offer a chance for 12 community members to win complimentary use of the popular venue’s birthday room.

In addition to the use of the room, one winner from each of the bank’s 12 branches will receive 10 general admission tickets to the Hall of Fame and a goody bag for each party guest. 

“It’s our birthday, but we’d like to celebrate it by making the birthdays of others a little more special,” said President and CEO Matt Garrity.

In hopes of celebrating a birthday alongside Florence Bank’s 150th, those entering the giveaway can complete a ballot at any of the bank’s branches or visit florencebank.com/bday. The contest begins Friday, May 5 and ends Friday, June 2. Winners will be chosen Monday, June 5.

May 6, 1873, marks the date of the first 25 deposits at Florence Savings Bank, totaling $825.75. Henry Bond was the bank’s first treasurer, and its founding president was Alfred T. Lilly. 

The first trustees and corporators were business owners, shopkeepers, farmers, and community leaders, and the mission of the community bank was to help citizens safely save their money and make a significant contribution in the lives of the people of Hampshire County.

“We’ve grown a lot in the past century and a half, but we have remained true to our core values,” Garrity said. “We still have business owners, shopkeepers, and community leaders on our board, and our mission remains the same as it was 150 years ago. We remain a mutual bank, unbeholden to stockholders. We provide the best possible service to customers, and we are proud community partners, giving back in many areas to help our neighbors thrive.”

Florence Bank’s original home was the second floor of the Davis Building on Main Street in Florence. It has outgrown its space twice, moving into a two-story brick building next door in 1891 and again in 1978 to its present main office.

The first branch was opened at the corner of King and Finn streets in Northampton in 1986, and the most recent branch in Chicopee cut the ribbon on May 5, 2021. 

In its early days, Florence Bank made history with its second treasurer. In 1880, Mary Bond, the sister of Henry Bond, became the second treasurer of Florence Savings Bank and the first woman to hold the office of treasurer of a savings bank in the state. She served as principal of the Northampton public schools and later as the first woman elected to the Northampton School Committee. 

Bond was followed in 1891 by Mary E. Gould, who was succeeded in 1911 by another woman, Emilie Plimpton. 

Growth came steadily for the bank, most notably during World War II, when it received a record number of deposits. These came mainly from government allotments to area residents serving in the military. In the 1950s, a time of rapid growth in the local housing market, the bank was a principal source of home mortgages for Florence residents.  

Today, Florence Bank’s total assets are $1.8 billion.

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses. Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate and the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

The post Florence Bank Celebrates 150 Years of Doing Business with Special Giveaway appeared first on Beetle Press.

Children got to parade through the streets of West Springfield on Oct. 14, dribbling basketballs and laughing with friends and family. They followed behind a five-time basketball Olympian named Teresa Edwards, who is also a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, and later had the chance to get her autograph.

The West Springfield Boys & Girls Club received a donation of $10,000, and hundreds of residents enjoyed a free lunch and entertainment by basketball entertainers who call themselves the Court Jesters.

This, all thanks to Florence Bank.

Headquartered in Florence, the bank opened its 10^th branch—the first in Hampden County—in West Springfield this summer, and planned the day’s amazing Florence Bank Dribble Parade to call attention to the milestone. What a great way to honor relationships and let the community know what a solid partner you will be.

The parade was the brainchild of the bank’s advertising agency, which partnered with Florence Bank staff in several months of intricate planning. I helped with the preparation and also promoted the event through press releases to get the bank some wider attention.

Even though it at first was threatening to rain on the Saturday of the parade, it stayed dry, the sun came out, and my intern, Abby Taylor, and I had a great time supporting the bank and taking part. While I was meeting with various photographers—several from the media—and working with the police detail that would keep marchers safe on the .6-mile route from the Boys & Girls Club to the new branch at 1010 Union St., Abby was helping with registration. She later marched in the parade with me, my grandson Eli, his friend Miggz and their babysitter, Emma, and Abby took some great photos as well.

Abby grew up in West Springfield and had the privilege to play basketball at the Boys & Girls Club when she was younger. She thought the parade was wonderful—“a great way to unite the community.” She got a kick out of the West Springfield High School band playing the bank’s “Always” song as the mayor, bank president, and CEO John Heaps marched behind a police escort.

“I cannot remember anything of this sort happening when I was younger, so I am happy for the children who got to feel famous for a day, walking around town for all to see,” Abby says. “I enjoyed recognizing people I see in the grocery store or at church. It warms my heart to know that the children of West Springfield are being nurtured by not only their parents, but by the community too.”

Abby is a junior at Westfield State University, and she is wise to see the ways in which Florence Bank created an opportunity for hundreds of children and their families in West Springfield. It was like being at a fair, not a bank! How clever and unique—and generous!

I’m proud to have had the chance to work with the Florence Bank staff. They are also clever, unique, and generous, as well as dedicated, organized, and genuine. If you run a business or organization, you’d do well to follow their example in offering a community event to give back and get noticed. It’s a smart idea. You can start small. Bring in a speaker on a topic of interest to your audience.

Or go big with a slam dunk like the Florence Bank Dribble Parade!

The post Florence Bank event pleases hundreds appeared first on Beetle Press.