Grants to organizations in 2021 at $40,000, with total pandemic donations at $140,000 thus far

FLORENCE—Since the start of the new year, Florence Bank has donated $40,000 to organizations in the region that support food insecurity, bringing its total giving in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to $140,000.

As restrictions are starting to lift, President and CEO Kevin R. Day also reiterated the bank’s commitment to the cause, saying a return to pre-pandemic economics in the region is likely not imminent. 

“People have been impacted significantly. Their jobs haven’t returned. They’re not making ends meet, and they need food,” Day said. “There’s still a need. We’re here to support the needs, and they’re continuing.”

So far in 2021, Florence Bank has granted $5,000 to the Chesterfield Community Cupboard, its second donation to that organization since the pandemic began; $20,000 to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to support its Brown Bag: Food for Elders Program; $10,000 to Grow Food Northampton, also a second gift, to support the Community Food Distribution Project created last year for emergency food distribution. Most recently, the Florence Bank Board of Directors approved a $5,000 gift for Manna Community Kitchen. 

Day said the consideration of gifts to support food insecurity is an ongoing item on the Florence Bank Board of Director’s meeting agenda. 

John Ebbets, chair of the 11-member board and a member for nearly a decade, said the bank aptly prioritized supporting access to food as a basic human need. 

“There was no hesitation whatsoever,” said Ebbets. “Florence Bank has consistently been a major player in supporting the community. It has always been incredibly supportive.”

As the former executive director of United Way of Hampshire County from 2015 to 2019, Ebbets knows about community need, and he said he feels grateful to be able to sit on the bank board and indirectly provide assistance. “It feels good,” he said. 

Day said Florence Bank began responding to the problem of hunger soon after COVID-19 forced closures and caused wide-scale job loss. “We said, ‘We need to be here and help these nonprofits get food out,’” he said.

In 2020, the bank donated nearly $100,000 to the Community Food Distribution Project, Grow Food Northampton, the Northampton Survival Center, and Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry in Chicopee.

“There was an outpouring of need,” Day said. “The shutdowns hit every city and town. We made an effort to ensure our assistance covered the breadth of our whole service area, with gifts to date made in Hampden and Hampshire counties.”

Ebbets said the board is also looking ahead. “Not everybody will emerge from the pandemic at the same time. The projection was that there could be continued significant need. Food insecurity does not go away,” he said. “It’s a continuing cycle and a continuing challenge.”

About Florence Bank

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned 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. 

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Funds have aided nonprofits that have seen tremendous growth due to COVID-19

FLORENCE—Florence Bank donated nearly $100,000 in 2020 to support a new food distribution collaborative and nine other longtime nonprofits with a mission to feed people who are battling food insecurity in the Valley.

The gifts have been made since March to organizations in all corners of the region, including the Hilltowns, to help ease the economic strain brought on by COVID-19.

“We are so grateful. Without the support of donors, we would not have been able to continue our mission,” said Ruben Reyes, executive director of Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry in Chicopee, one of the recipients of bank funds. “COVID has affected us very hard. All of our fundraisers were canceled, and we were very worried about how to fund our programs.”

Compounding the problem, COVID-19 has also affected Lorraine’s clientele. Reyes said he is seeing an additional 200-300 families each month, providing a month’s supply of groceries and dinners five nights a week to a total of 600-700 families. 

“We’re seeing a lot more families who typically would not need pantry services,” Reyes said. “They are coming to our doors for the very first time.”

In the spring, Florence Bank donated $50,000 to the Community Food Distribution Project (CFDP) created jointly by the Northampton Survival Center and Grow Food Northampton to help fund emergency food distribution in the early months of the pandemic. 

The new collaborative makes food staples available through on-site distributions at nearly a dozen local sites. Northampton Survival Center and Grow Food Northampton established the organization in partnership with Community Action Pioneer Valley, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the city of Northampton, and Northampton Public Schools. 

Grow Food Northampton and the Northampton Survival Center each received $25,000 from the bank.

Since May, Florence Bank has made the following gifts to these local nonprofits:

Easthampton Community Center, $7,500; Easthampton Congregational Church, $2,500; Open Pantry Community Services Inc., of Springfield, $1,000; Chesterfield Community Cupboard, $5,000; Amherst Survival Center, $10,000; The Gray House Market, of Springfield, $5,000; The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, as part of Monte’s March, $1,000; Springfield Rescue Mission, $10,000; and Lorraine’s, which received $1,000.

Florence Bank also nominated Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen to receive a $5,000 award from the Massachusetts Bankers Association Charitable Foundation, which the nonprofit has accepted.

“Florence Bank cares about its community, and in these unprecedented times, there’s nothing more important than helping our neighbors,” said Florence Bank President Kevin R. Day. “The pandemic has heightened food insecurity and has prompted many people who never before needed assistance to reach out for help.”

Day added, “Florence Bank was founded on the idea of neighbors helping neighbors. What better way to display that principle than to contribute to the organizations that are meeting the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors?”

Florence Bank has branches in Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, Williamsburg, West Springfield, and Springfield, and it is headquartered in Florence. 

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 11 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, they offer 24 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.

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16th annual George Webb Memorial Basketball Tournament raises funds for the nonprofit and begins this year on March 13

CHICOPEE— This year marks the 35th year Kevin Vann has enjoyed coaching youth basketball—and for 16 of those years, he has provided young people in Greater Springfield and Northern Connecticut with the chance to play in a competitive tournament. 

As the founder of the George Webb Memorial Basketball Tournament, which supports the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee, Vann was proud to announce this year to sponsors and participants that the event topped the $200,000 fundraising mark in 2019.

“Thank you for standing with me over the past 16 years, supporting the kids of the club,” he said. “I have a deep passion for basketball, yet my 35 years of coaching pales in comparison to the 108 years that the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee has been there every day for the now 358 boys and girls of this city. They are children who desperately need encouragement, companionship, challenge, and opportunity to help them grow into responsible and respected human beings.”

The largest basketball tournament of its kind, the 15-day event tips off on March 13 at the club, ending on March 28. Each year, the tourney draws hundreds of spectators to watch more than 40 teams of boys and girls play. 

Vann founded the George Webb Memorial Basketball Tournament in 2005 to honor his late friend, George Webb, who died of cancer at age 52 in 2004. A basketball player who shot hoops at the club on Tuesday evenings, Webb rarely lost a game, and, Vann said, “When he did, he showed true sportsmanship to whoever he was playing against.”

Vann and his business, The Vann Group of Springfield, a professional services outsourcing company, have sponsored the tournament since its start. And it has been held at the club it supports since the beginning as well.

“The George Webb Basketball Tournament embodies the values of the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee,” Vann said. “It’s an even competition for teams of boys and girls aged 8 to 13 who have varying abilities as ball players.” 

For the second year in a row, Daishany Miller of Chicopee was named the club’s Youth of the Year. To achieve the title of Youth of the Year, a club member must embody the values of leadership and service, academic excellence, and healthy lifestyles. The Youth of the Year serves as a role model for other young people in the club and as a representative to the community.

Drawn to investigate the club in 2014, Miller, 19, soon adopted it as a second home and learned how to thrive as a leader. “It takes strength to fit in and courage to stand out,” Miller said. “The club is there for me and encourages me to take the steps I need to strive to be a better version of myself.” 

Vann said the tournament has allowed thousands of young people to experience the safe haven that is the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee, play a sport, and develop values that will last them a lifetime. 

The club has a mission to fill the gap between school and home. According to a national organization called the Afterschool Alliance, every day, 362,312 children in Massachusetts leave school with nowhere to go with an adult present. 

The club offers activities, resources, supportive relationships with peers and adults, and programs that can be life-changing, and it served 1,802 young people last year; 358 were members, and the other 1,444 were served through community outreach programs.

The Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee has two locations in town and is staffed by 30 adults and 50 volunteers.  

Seventy-one percent of those who are nurtured at the club are 12 and younger; the others are teenagers. Of the total served, 69 percent are in minority ethnic groups and 32 percent are in single-parent households.

For more information about the tournament, visit bgcchicopee.org/george-webb-memorial-basketball-tournament/. For information on sponsorship opportunities, visit georgewebbtournament.com or contact Ruth Griggs at (413) 727-3354 or email her at ruth@rccomms.com. 

To learn about the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee, visit its website at www.bgcchicopee.org.

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Community Champions Sweepstakes to coincide with Customer Appreciation Week in May

FLORENCE—Florence Bank has announced the launch of a new program that will offer recognition to 11 local residents who are community-minded while also benefitting 11 area nonprofits.

Through the new Community Champions Sweepstakes, customers can cast one vote in their neighborhood branch for a person in their community who goes above and beyond to ensure that residents are safe, healthy and happy. Nominees do not need to be customers of Florence Bank.

There will be one winner selected at random for each of the bank’s 11 branches. Those 11 winners will then have the privilege of selecting an area nonprofit to receive a $500 grant.

The program will coincide with the bank’s Customer Appreciation Week, typically celebrated in May.

“We are excited about this new program that gives our customers an opportunity to say thank you to someone in their community who works hard for the common good,” said Florence Bank President and CEO John F. Heaps Jr. “We like acknowledging Community Champions. This region depends on them, and it’s nice to say thank you.

“We also like that we’re giving these Champions the opportunity to, in turn, recognize an organization of their choice to receive a $500 gift. It creates good will,” Heaps added. “It’s fun!”

Community Champions nominations will be accepted at bank branches from April 15 to May 6. Winners will be announced to the public on Friday, May 10 via Florence Bank’s social media platforms.

The Community Champions will be lauded at celebrations at the individual bank branches from Monday, May 13 through Friday, May 24.

The Community Champions program is similar to Florence Bank’s Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program in that customers get to take part in the voting, and nonprofits benefit.

In March, Florence Bank granted $102,500 to 61 area nonprofits at the Customers’ Choice awards celebration at the Garden House at Look Memorial Park. Heaps handed out 55 checks to nonprofits that night, and also awarded $500 each to six organizations that did not receive enough votes to qualify for an official award.

For additional information about the new Community Champions program, stop in to any of our 11 Florence Bank branches to learn more.

Florence Bank has branches in Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, Williamsburg, West Springfield, and Springfield, and it is headquartered in Florence.

Florence Bank is a mutually-owned savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 11 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, West Springfield and a new branch located on Allen Street in Springfield. Additionally, they offer 28 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.

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$100,000 awarded on March 21 will support libraries, schools, police and fire departments, hospitals and hospices, and other organizations that benefit people of all ages, as well as animals and the environment.

FLORENCE—Florence Bank recently presented $100,000 in awards ranging from $500 to $5,000 to 57 area nonprofits through its 16th annual Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program during an event at the Garden House at Look Memorial Park. The funds will support libraries, schools, police, fire departments, hospitals and hospices, and other organizations that benefit people of all ages, as well as animals and the environment.

Noting that the bank reached the $1.05 million mark in terms of grants made over nearly two decades to 144 community nonprofits, President and CEO John Heaps Jr. offered a toast to roughly 150 volunteers and staff members from the organizations who gathered for the celebration on March 21.

“We started 16 years ago with an idea to ask our customers to vote for a worthy organization to receive funds,” Heaps said. “Here’s to the $1 million mark.”

Heaps noted that the bank is most grateful to the 57 organizations and the work they do to strengthen the community. “You make our communities special with your contributions every day. Here’s to you.”

He added that the Customers’ Choice event is, “One of my favorite nights of the year. We’re doing what we should be doing.”

The Customers’ Choice Community Grants Program is an annual offering founded in 2002, through which Florence Bank customers are invited to vote for their favorite local nonprofit in hopes it will receive a share of grant funding. In its early years, awards of $50,000, and later, $75,000, were offered each year by the bank; in more recent years, $100,000 has been disbursed each spring.

To qualify for a community grant, organizations must receive at least 50 votes; Marketing Director Monica Curhan said at the event that this year each vote is worth about $15 to the organizations.

She also said that, for the first time this year, eight organizations that received between 40 and 49 votes were invited to attend the event to vie for one bonus $500 award.

Leaders from three of the eight were present—Easthampton Dollars for Scholars, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School PTO and the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley Inc.

As Heaps was poised to pull from a raffle that would determine the winner of the $500, he surprised everyone saying, “You are all worthy of a $500 grant. The bank will make awards to each of your organizations.”

He noted that Florence Bank is a mutual bank, and, as such, does not need to pay quarterly dividends to stockholders. “We can do the things we want to do. We can keep our focus on our customers and our community” he said, noting the bank’s assets stand at $1.3 billion.

As nonprofit staff and leaders sipped champagne, had their photographs taken with oversized checks bearing the amounts of their awards and mingled with colleagues and community members, they also celebrated the bank’s assistance.

“We get letters every day from people thanking us for the care we provide,” said Priscilla Ross, executive director of the Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice. “It’s felt like we’ve been getting more and more letters. This backs it up.”

This year marked the first year that bank customers chose the VNA to receive an award, in the amount of $1,287. Ross said, “What Florence Bank does for our community is so unique and valuable.”

In 2017, before the Dec. 31 deadline, 10,111 votes were cast through Customers’ Choice. The following are the organizations, the amounts received, and, when available, the projects that will be undertaken with the funds: Dakin Humane Society, $5,000, to support the organization’s Pet Food Pantry; Friends of Forbes Library, $4,820, book and media purchases, programming for adults, teens and children, new technology and staff development; Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library, $4,100, children’s programming and materials; The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, $3,990, to fulfill its mission; Cancer Connection, $3,785, peer support; Northampton Survival Center, $3,565, non-meat protein items; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, $3,548, training for new mentors; Amherst Survival Center, $3,046, to support the center’s community meals program; Pelham Elementary School PTO, $2,952, school supplies, cultural events and anti-bullying training; Friends of Lilly Library, $2,700, library programs for children and young adults; Easthampton Elementary Schools PTO, $2,418; Jackson Street School PTO, $2,402; New Hingham Regional Elementary School PTO, $2,230, after-school enrichment programs and to offset the cost of field trips; BARC, Inc., $2,198, to pay vet bills related to illness for those who adopt a cat with feline leukemia; Northampton Senior Center, $2,200, transportation programs; Northampton High School PTO, $2,072; Emily Williston Memorial Library, $1,915, new programming for young readers; Hospice of the Fisher Home, $1,775, to off-set the cost of care for those patients who cannot afford it; R.K. Finn Ryan Road School, $1,743, books with an anti-bias theme; Safe Passage, $1,743, legal advice and representation for survivors of domestic violence; Friends of Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School, $1,727, general operations and grants for teachers and staff; Belchertown Day School, $1,507, literacy and dramatic play; The Edward Hopkins Educational Foundation, $1,445, programming in the Hadley public schools; The Friends of Clapp Library, $1,430, children’s programming; Amherst Regional Public Schools Parent Guardian Organization, $1,413, field trips, supplies, social school events and mini-grants;  Kestrel Land Trust, $1,413, outdoor leadership program in Holyoke for high school students; Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, $1,413, art and music programs; Grow Food Northampton, $1,335, affordable access to healthy, local food for low-income families; Williamsburg Firefighters Association, $1,335, a meter that detects multiple gases; Friends of the Amherst Senior Center, $1,320, senior health services; Tapestry Health Systems, Inc., $1,320, sexual reproductive health, overdose prevention, HIV/AIDS support services and family nutrition; Friends of M.N. Spear Memorial Library, $1,303, to bolster the fund to build a new library; Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice, $1,287, creative services that support end-of-life care; Leeds Elementary School PTO, $1,225; Hampshire Regional High School, $1,193, student leadership training; Easthampton Community Center, $1,180, summer programming for children; The Hartsbrook School, $1,162, tuition financial aid for qualifying families; Northampton Community Music Center, $1,162, student scholarships; Easthampton Band Boosters, $1,115, instrument storage lockers at Easthampton High School; Northampton Community Rowing, $1,100, outreach efforts for adults and youths; Hitchcock Center for the Environment, $1,021, to support the camp scholarship fund; ServiceNet Inc., $990, to assist clients as they transition from a shelter to a home of their own; The Belchertown Police K-9 Unit, $928, dog food, veterinary care, training and certification costs; Hilltown Community Health Centers, $928, health programs; Whole Children, $928, the Friendship Band; Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, $911, training and membership fees; Bridge Street School PTO, $895, after school programming; Cooley Dickinson Hospital, $880, to support opioid and addiction education; John F. Kennedy Middle School PTO, $880, grants for teachers; Mass Audubon Connecticut River Sanctuaries, $880, Arcadia’s climate change education programs in the Pioneer Valley; Our Lady of the Hills Parish, $865, tables and chairs in the parish hall; CISA, $850, workshops and technical assistance; Belchertown Firefighters Association, $801, equipment for the Belchertown Fire Department; MANNA Soup Kitchen, Inc., $801, to support the mission; Center for Women & Community at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, $785, transportation, emergency medical care, forensic exams, and legal aid for survivors of sexual assault; Center for New Americans, $785, career advice; and Granby Senior Center, $785, the center’s Veteran’s Appreciation breakfast.

The five organizations that received just under 50 votes and were unable to attend were: Riverside Industries, Westfield Homeless Cat Project, Belchertown Public Schools, Franklin Land Trust and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Office of Pastoral Concerns.

The Customers’ Choice Community Grants program is a year-long initiative. Customers’ of the bank can vote via paper ballots until Dec. 31 at each bank branch location or online at https://www.florencebank.com/vote.

Nonprofits are encouraged to create campaigns to motivate their constituents, those who are Florence Bank customers, to vote. To request materials to help with a campaign, email marketing@florencebank.com and request a Customers’ Choice kit.

Florence Bank has branches in Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, Williamsburg and West Springfield, and it is headquartered in Florence.

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GREENFIELD— Leadership Pioneer Valley and its sponsoring organizations are unveiling a free and comprehensive program, called Leaders OnBoard, which is geared toward new and longtime nonprofit board members. It will offer basic skills, mentorship opportunities and connections for inspired community members who want to get involved.

Lora Wondolowski, executive director of Leadership Pioneer Valley, said Leaders OnBoard is a multifaceted program that will fill a need in training board members and staffers at nonprofit organizations alike, in areas from basic board service to budgeting to governance.

“Our program seeks to address this need for diverse, well-trained leaders in Franklin County,” Wondolowski said, adding that next year, the intention is to expand Leaders OnBoard across the Pioneer Valley.

Wondolowski said there are 772 501c3 organizations—or nonprofits—in Franklin County alone that range from private schools to small social service agencies. “Many organizations lack the staff and capacity to develop their boards,” she said. “Many individuals are brought in and forced to learn on the job.”

Wondolowski quoted a 2013 study of 934 U.S. corporations and nonprofits that notes the average age of board directors is 68. “Our program seeks to address this need for diverse, well-trained leaders in Franklin County,” she said.

We want to give the opportunity for people to develop their skills from where they are in their journey,” Wondolowski added. “We want board members to feel like they’re making a bigger difference, that they’re being more effective in strengthening our communities.”

Wondolowski said the program, which begins June 1 with a Board Basics Workshop at Greenfield Community College, is offered to anyone interested in nonprofit board work.  Leaders OnBoard sessions will be repeated quarterly.

Danielle Letourneau-Therrien, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County, is excited about the possibilities that Leaders OnBoard presents in terms of strengthening nonprofits through the members that sit on their boards.

She said the board members of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Franklin County have all been involved for many years and feel a personal responsibility to stay and watch over the organization. She wants to recruit solid new members so those who have served for so many years can feel like they can step away.

The Leaders OnBoard program will help educate a new pool of board members and connect them to boards in need of service, and Letourneau-Therrien is excited about the possibilities that presents.

“One of the reasons I’m really excited is to connect to new people who are inspired about the work we do,” she said. “We’re hoping to get new people interested and give them some tools so they know what they’re doing.”

The Leaders OnBoard program has three main components:

• Board Basics Workshops, for new or veteran board members to explore topics such as what it means to sit on a board, how to conduct a budget review and how to ensure an organization’s values are reflected in its work.
• Peer2Peer Connections, for current board members and nonprofit staff to build peer relationships and swap notes and ideas on facets of board work from fundraising to management.
• Board Member Matching, which pairs community members seeking a seat on a board with an organization growing its board.

The first session of Leaders OnBoard begins Wednesday, June 1 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Greenfield Community College, Main Campus, with a Board Basics session to be facilitated by Beth Spong, vice president of RAINMAKER Consulting, Inc. of Holyoke.

For more information or to register, contact Amy Proietti, program coordinator, at aproietti@leadershippv.org or www.leadershippv.org.

The Board Basics and Peer2Peer sessions will be offered quarterly; a board matching event will be offered after each Board Basics session.

Wondolowski said while Leadership Pioneer Valley is spearheading the board learning program, it couldn’t have offered it up without its partners and sponsors: the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Franklin Regional Council of Governments and Greenfield Community College.

“They also saw the need for this program and have been involved in its creation,” she said. “We worked with them to develop it. They’re more than funders; they’re true partners in the work.”

Wondolowski said as Leaders OnBoard gears up to accept participants, she is getting positive feedback from area nonprofit staff and directors.

“We’re so gratified that we’re getting so much interest from organizations who are saying, ‘This is what we need.’ We’re getting positive reinforcement,” Wondolowski said, noting individuals who are interested in volunteering on boards have also expressed interest.

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