Volunteers and $10,000 Block Sponsorship to be provided

FLORENCE—Florence Bank will support Revitalize CDC’s 2025 #GreenNFit Neighborhood Rebuild event with a $10,000 Block Sponsorship and a record number of bank volunteers who will lend a hand on Saturday, April 26 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For several years, the bank and its employees have supported the organization and its mission to improve homes, neighborhoods and lives through preservation, education and community involvement. Joe Kulig, vice president / commercial loan officer and a Revitalize CDC board member for over 25 years, and Nikki Gleason, vice president / manager of the West Springfield branch, are house captains for the bank’s project, inspiring other bank employees to take part.

During #GreenNFit this year, roughly 800-1,000 community volunteers will make critical repairs and modifications to the homes of roughly 15-20 low-income families with children, elderly, military veterans or people with special needs in the Calhoun Park area of Springfield’s North End. Fifteen Florence Bank employees will take part.

Work will include yard clean-up, exterior painting and fixing decks and stairs. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, city councilors and state legislators are expected to also be involved.

“This year will be one of the largest turnouts from the bank perspective,” Kulig said. “It’s gotten a lot of attention internally in past years when volunteers come back to the bank and tell people about it. It drives interest, and that’s why our numbers are growing.”

Gleason, a house captain for the event since 2016, said, “We’re all happy to be part of something that improves the neighborhood. It’s an infectious good feeling with a positive effect on the whole neighborhood, and it helps raise awareness about the organization.”

Revitalize CDC was founded in 1992 as an all-volunteer agency that raised roughly $40,000 each year and assisted about five families annually. Today, it serves over 800 families a year with a $5 million annual budget. Revitalize CDC serves Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties, with its primary reach in Holyoke, Chicopee and Springfield. 

The goal of #GreenNFit is to make homes more energy efficient, safe, healthy and aesthetically pleasing. 

“We are very grateful for the support of Florence Bank and appreciate the show of support from its leaders and employees,” said Colleen Shanley-Loveless, president and CEO of Revitalize CDC in Springfield. “Florence Bank knows and values the community and the nonprofit organizations that support it. Consistently, they step up as a good neighbor.”

Florence Bank President and CEO Matt Garrity said, “We are pleased to be able to support Revitalize CDC in its efforts to keep people safe in their homes. I’m proud of our employees who get out there and help.”

Kulig got Florence Bank involved with the agency when he joined the bank’s staff in September 2018. 

To learn more about Revitalize CDC or get involved with #GreenNFit, visit revitalizecdc.com.

To learn more about Florence Bank, visit FlorenceBank.com.

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 Florence Financial Group to consumers and businesses. 

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I continue to help United Way of Hampshire County raise awareness about the work it does in funding 34 programs that deliver 21,687 acts of service per year to people in need in Hampshire County in Massachusetts. Over 250 volunteers give over 5,000 hours of their time. Recently, I wrote the following blog for United Way to help it recruit volunteers to staff a shelter in Northampton, Massachusetts. 

United Way of Hampshire County is eagerly seeking volunteers to assist with various tasks related to running a newly opened shelter for the homeless in downtown Northampton. Leaders ask that you bring your heart and hands—and if you are inspired, also your creativity.

This, because you may be doing everything from setting up cots to serving coffee and imagining activities that shelter guests can take part in.

Last year, United Way helped the city of Northampton to find dozens of people to help set up and also operate a shelter at Northampton High School, which was closed at the time. This year, the shelter is at First Churches of Northampton. 

Operated by ServiceNet and supported by the city of Northampton, this year’s location opened on Dec. 4, 2020. The need for volunteers is great again this year. As Loren Davine, of Easthampton, volunteer coordinator, explains it, the pandemic is pulling longtime volunteers in many directions, and many older adults who normally volunteer cannot do so because they are at-risk.

Last year, United Way recruited 86 volunteers, two of whom worked every shift, for six to eight hours, for two months in the winter.

Loren said that early on last year, volunteers helped organize and distribute supplies that were donated. They put up signage relative to COVID-19 protocols and distributed meals that were donated by the Hampshire County House of Corrections, Smith College, and some local businesses. 

One volunteer wanted to do more than serve coffee in the hallway. And this is where creativity comes in, as The Kind Cafe was born. She created a designated coffeehouse in the cafeteria and served up hot cocoa, mochas, and pastries to guests.

“After a few weeks, our volunteers started connecting with the guests,” Loren says, noting the shelter was at capacity last year with 55 guests on any given day. “What started as a coffee cart became a whole café downstairs. It felt like you were in a coffee shop.”

“The volunteers offered something special, instead of basic survival. They were really able to humanize the experience and connect with people and address the need.”

Over the winter, the compassion—and the inventiveness—grew. As guests began to feel cooped up, volunteers responded by creating activities and events—such as a poetry slam, movie nights, and special, hot Sunday breakfasts.

“They made pancakes, waffles, eggs,” Loren says. “One volunteer offered a craft night. She brought in supplies and facilitated a project. Many of them didn’t just work their shift. They got involved.” 

United Way is proud that its efforts produced such innovation and compassion. In addition to finding volunteers, the assist in the spring and earlier this winter included sourcing donated clothing, water stations, water bottles, face masks, and chairs. The agency has also worked with the town of Amherst and Craig’s Doors to identify and secure University Motor Lodge as additional housing for those experiencing homelessness. 

The work of United Way is always important. It is often pressing. And it is so rewarding. Get involved—for your own sake!

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Pandemic pulls longtime volunteers elsewhere, so need is great

NORTHAMPTON—United Way of Hampshire County is eagerly seeking volunteers to assist with various tasks related to running a newly opened shelter for the homeless in downtown Northampton. 

Operated by ServiceNet and supported by the city of Northampton, the shelter is at First Churches of Northampton. It opened on Dec. 4, and the need for volunteers is great as the pandemic is pulling longtime volunteers in other directions. Volunteers will do everything from setting up cots to serving coffee and imagining activities that shelter guests can take part in.

“We were very successful in helping to find shelter volunteers last year,” said John Bidwell, executive director of United Way of Hampshire County. “We hope area residents will partner with us again this year and sign up to help.”

To volunteer, visit http://www.northamptonma.gov/FormCenter/Health-Department-18/Volunteer-Submission-Form-for-Emergency–135.

Last year, United Way helped the city of Northampton to find dozens of people to help set up and also operate a shelter at Northampton High School, which was closed at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Loren Davine, of Easthampton, volunteer coordinator, explained that the pandemic is pulling longtime volunteers in many directions, and many older adults who normally volunteer cannot do so because they are at-risk.

Last year, United Way recruited 86 volunteers, two of whom worked every shift, for six to eight hours, for two months in the winter.

Davine said that early on last year, volunteers helped to organize and distribute supplies that were donated. They put up signage relative to COVID-19 protocols and distributed meals that were donated by the Hampshire County House of Corrections, Smith College, and some local businesses. 

“One volunteer wanted to do more than serve coffee in the hallway,” she said. And this is where creativity came in, as The Kind Cafe was born. “She created a designated coffeehouse in the cafeteria and served up hot cocoa, mochas, and pastries to guests.

“After a few weeks, our volunteers started connecting with the guests,” Davine added, noting the shelter was at capacity last year with 55 guests on any given day. “What started as a coffee cart became a whole café downstairs. It felt like you were in a coffee shop.”

Over the winter, volunteers’ compassion and inventiveness grew, Davine said. As guests began to feel cooped up, volunteers responded by creating activities and events—such as a poetry slam, movie nights, and special, hot Sunday breakfasts.

“They made pancakes, waffles, eggs,” Davine said. “One volunteer offered a craft night. She brought in supplies and facilitated a project. Many of them didn’t just work their shift. They got involved.” 

Bidwell said, “We are proud that our efforts produced such innovation and compassion for the shelter residents.” 

In addition to finding volunteers, Bidwell noted that the assist in the spring and now has included sourcing donated clothing, water stations, water bottles, face masks, and chairs. 

“We’ve also worked with the town of Amherst and Craig’s Doors to identify and secure University Motor Lodge as additional housing for those experiencing homelessness,” he said. “We helped work out the logistics, meeting coordination, and communications.”

For more information, contact Loren at lorendavine@gmail.com.

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Life plan community has trained new volunteers and is recruiting additional companions as well as community members to pair them with 

LONGMEADOW—Glenmeadow recently trained seven new volunteers to pair with community members seeking companionship through its Neighbor to Neighbor program, and it continues to seek new volunteers as well as neighbors.

Erin Koebler, director of Community Care at Glenmeadow, said the training that was held mostly virtually in late October was originally scheduled for March, and the life plan community felt it could wait no longer to renew the program and recruitment efforts.

“Older adults can easily become isolated from friends, family, and the community, putting them at risk for health issues and decline in independence,” Koebler said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this already concerning problem, putting many more elders in our midst at risk. We are reinvigorating our program, knowing that residents of the Greater Longmeadow area are so isolated.”

Glenmeadow is committed to combatting social isolation because loneliness can lead to depression, cognitive decline, and major health problems. Through Neighbor to Neighbor, volunteers—most of them older adults themselves—are paired with individuals in Greater Springfield who seek companionship.

Neighbor to Neighbor serves both people living at Glenmeadow and those in their own homes. Funding to launch the work came in 2018 from Greater Springfield Senior Services, Inc. (GSSSI), which provided a $5,000 grant that year. Glenmeadow led development efforts, assisted by these regional partners: the First Church of Christ, the Longmeadow Adult Center, the Spiritual Services and the Clinical Pastoral Education Department at Baystate Medical Center, and Temple Beth El.

In the first year, the funds allowed the recruitment of 30 volunteers and neighbors. 

For the past two years, GSSSI has awarded the life plan community a $7,000 grant, and Koebler said Glenmeadow is committed to growing the program through new, creative means. “This year, with no end in sight to the COVID-19 crisis, we intend to expend some of our resources on technology that will make connecting easier for those who participate,” she said.

She noted that few of those who were paired before COVID are meeting live now; many are speaking regularly on the phone instead. Volunteers are sending cards and letters to their neighbors, and vice versa, and volunteers are dropping off baked goods and surprises on porches and back steps. 

“We are hoping to create joy through friendship and the building of relationships,” Koebler said.

In late October, Glenmeadow held a training on Zoom and allowed several people who did not feel at risk to join live in a setting that offered social distance.

The trainer spent two hours explaining the basics of isolation and why social interaction is important and also helping volunteers to get comfortable with various situations and challenges they might experience.

Koebler said the training touched on how to establish rapport over the telephone and be an empathetic listener, and the leader also explained that some neighbors could have behavioral, visual, or cognitive impairments. “We prepare people for all the difficult situations they might face and follow up if they have a day with their neighbor when things are challenging,” she said. 

Glenmeadow also provides mentorship to volunteers. “That’s a big component,” Koebler said, adding, “We provide support and networking opportunities for the volunteers.”

Call Koebler at 413-567-5977 if you know an older adult who would like to be a neighbor or someone who would like to be trained as a volunteer.

Glenmeadow is a nonprofit life plan community—formerly known as a retirement community—and it has a mission to serve seniors in the Greater Springfield region, whether they live on the Longmeadow campus or in their own homes.

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is an accredited life plan community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.  

To learn more about Glenmeadow and its history and offerings, visit www.glenmeadow.org.

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In past years, I have written the stories that appear in United Way of Hampshire County’s annual campaign report. This year, the agency is telling its tales in blog form to raise awareness. United Way of Hampshire County funds 34 programs that deliver 21,687 acts of service per year. Over 250 volunteers give over 5,000 hours of their time. I am proud to be able to help spread the word about this trusted, important organization. What follows is a recent blog I penned.

There is a deep need to get diapers into the hands of parents and onto the bottoms of newborns and toddlers. 

People cannot use food stamps or support from WIC to purchase diapers, and let’s face it, they are not a luxury item, even though they come with a steep price. Diapers can cost up to 50 cents apiece—or $4 or $5 per day—and that is more than some families can manage without making difficult choices, such as whether to buy diapers or their child’s next meal. 

More than an economic issue, the lack of affordable diapers is a health matter for infants, as they are exposed to more health risks without frequent, clean changes. The problem also poses mental health dangers: Stressed out parents raise stressed out children. 

Barbara Black, formerly the early childhood coordinator for Northampton Public Schools, is passionate about meeting the need for affordable diapers, and she came to United Way of Hampshire County five years ago to encourage us to start a diaper drive. In that first year, we gathered roughly 33,000 diapers to give away to parents. We later teamed with Amherst Survival Center to fundraise and provide diapers through annual drives.

The demand continued to exceed our supplies, though, as it did in Franklin County, where the United Way had established a diaper bank and was donating 6,000 to 10,000 diapers per month to parents, continuously fundraising to replenish.

Now, all involved individuals and organizations have banded together. Bolstered by a grant from the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, we are collaborating with the United Way of Franklin County on a single United Way Diaper Bank that is a member of the National Diaper Bank Network. We provide 14 partner agencies with diapers to disperse to parents.

In July, the new bank distributed 9,100 diapers to families in need. We are thrilled with the program’s success and relieved to be able to meet the need. As we explore a merger with United Way of Franklin County, we are excited to have a model program that so well showcases the success and growth we can achieve together. 

We have worked in unison with United Way of Franklin County for decades. A merger will better serve the region through shared programs like the diaper bank, increased capacities like with fundraising, and allow new efficiencies, such as grant processing, which we’ve already begun to meld. 

The diaper bank was the first and most defined collaboration to date, and it was made possible in March through a $35,000 grant from the Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund. As the pandemic cost people their jobs, buying diapers became more out of reach for some and out of reach for the first time for others. Need increased quite a bit.

We are excited that the grant funding helped us purchase just over 190,000 diapers, which we received at a discounted price of 18 cents per because of our new membership in the National Diaper Bank. 

Parents who need affordable diapers don’t need to worry about where they will get them. Through the new diaper bank, diapers are available at Community Action’s Family Center, Franklin County Community Meals Program’s Orange Food Pantry, The Center for Self-Reliance Food Pantry, Montague Catholic Social Ministries, Leyden Woods, It Takes a Village,  The Children’s Closet in North Leverett, Greenfield Community College’s Food Pantry, The Good Neighbors Food Pantry in Charlemont and The West County Food Pantry in Shelburne Falls, Amherst Survival Center, Easthampton Community Center, and Jubilee Diaper Ministry.

At least for now, our regional United Ways don’t need to worry about where the funding will come from to provide. The grant, the partnership, and the diaper bank membership offer us all a huge, collective sigh of relief. 

State Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, who led the Amherst Survival Center for many years and was a critical part of the diaper drive efforts in Hampshire County, is now working to meet diaper need on a larger scale.

With Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, and Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, she has filed a bill that, if passed, would create a new fund offering grants to nonprofits that distribute free diapers. The trio hopes that an initial, one-year pilot program could provide funds for up to 12 organizations in the state. 

While this kind of effort will also provide relief, we know the need will continue, and we will need to assess it, and fundraise, continually. And you can help.

Funds can be earmarked for the diaper bank, and we also accept in-kind donations throughout the year. Please contact our office before dropping off as our hours have changed due to COVID-19. 

Click here to make a gift or learn more. 

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I support the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction in telling stories about volunteers who have offered the nonprofit their time and commitment for decades. This piece is on Jennifer McGreevy, who was named an Auction Champion late last year. Jennifer has been a volunteer for several decades.

Back in the day, Jennifer McGreevy’s work with the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction was as grassroots as opening the phone book and calling businesses at random to solicit donations. Then, she’d hop in the car, with her infant daughter Callie in tow, and pick up whatever was offered, sometimes driving as far as Center Harbor.

That was 20 years ago, before dozens of volunteers like Jennifer brought dramatic change to the Auction, building sets as well as protocols and implementing technological systems that keep the week-long event running smoothly and efficiently. 

“There was a time when I was the nucleus at the center of the inputting station, where the items are donated, where they go on the block, the bid board, and the cashier station,” Jennifer recalls. “Now, I’m a part of a small piece of it all, overseeing all the cashiering and the items that have sold.”

She adds, “The Children’s Auction evolves. That’s important.”

The annual event that now supports 62 nonprofits in the Lakes Region raised $2,100 in its first year and $600,032 this year, its 38th. There has been tremendous growth and positive change, yet Jennifer can’t help but feel slightly wistful about “the old days.” 

All those years ago, parents and children would come in or call the Auction center to make a request for help. “They might say, ‘I’m a mom with three kids, and I can’t pay for Christmas gifts,’” Jennifer remembers, getting teary. “The next thing we’d know, a volunteer would come with a truck with a bed and a comforter. It was pretty cool to be part of that.”

The support the event provides, while critical, is not individual or personal now. The Children’s Auction is a nonprofit, and it offers grants to nonprofits, which in turn have the direct contact and relationships with people in need. “We’ve gotten so big we can’t take individual requests,” Jennifer says, adding, “The money gets where it’s needed. It’s very heartwarming to be part of this. It’s remarkable what we’re able to do.”

Jennifer got involved with the Auction because her husband, David, was friends with founder Warren Bailey. “He said, ‘Come and help and get more involved,” Jennifer remembers. 

She put her organizational skills to work. She created a system for managing the many gift certificates that were donated to be auctioned off. “I remember walking in and saying, ‘This doesn’t seem very efficient. There’s got to be a better way. Alphabetize them, or organize them by category or type,’” Jennifer says. “I helped modernize the systems.”

Thanks to R.J. Harding, the pen-on-paper method of tracking donations, which yielded hundreds of reams of paper over five days, has also been replaced with digital software. The only paper that remains are sheets that travel with the items on the bidding boards, helping the presenters learn about what’s being auctioned off and by whom.

David McGreevy has been key in the growth, too. In the event’s early years, when the Auction venue was a van, David helped find a vacant downtown space for it to be held, spearheading the beginnings of big change. As the owner of McGreevy Automotive at the time, David also drew on his relationship with Metrocast’s general manager Terry Hicks to help get the event televised for the first time in 1998.

Everyone in the McGreevy family takes part in the Auction, including the couple’s children—20-year-old Callie, 17-year-old Colin, and 12-year-old Carson. “It’s become a family tradition,” Jennifer says. “Carson begs me to take a day off from Gilford Middle School so he can volunteer backstage, and if his grades are good, he gets to do that.”

This year, Carson was at the Auction on Thursday, bustling around with his mother. 

As the director of company partnerships with Boothby Therapy Services, which employs related service providers in schools across New Hampshire, Jennifer has the freedom to work remotely from the Auction most of the week. Boothby owners Christopher and Maren Boothby understand the drive to take part, as they are also active with the Auction and have been for many years; Christopher has sat on the board of directors.

Now that the Auction venue is a former department store, Jennifer can sometimes be found hiding out in a dressing room, working.

Juggling the demands of life and Auction ensure that at week’s end, Jennifer is exhausted. But she wouldn’t change a thing. “I love to be involved in something that is for the greater good,” she says. “It’s such a great sense of community.”

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New opportunity part of the life plan community’s enhanced focus on dementia care

LONGMEADOW—Glenmeadow is seeking companions to spend time with residents who are living with dementia and will offer a training for the volunteers on Tuesday, Oct. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the life plan community.

Laura Lavoie, director of life enrichment at Glenmeadow, said the new volunteers would receive certificates of completion in a Positive Approach to Care (PAC) training that she would lead as a PAC-certified trainer. Volunteers would then be asked to make a weekly commitment of several hours to a resident.

“The more we can get people in the community to feel comfortable communicating and spending time with people living with dementia, the better-equipped they will be when they meet people in the community living with the disease,” Lavoie said. “It would be really great to have people coming from around the area to work with our residents, who might feel isolated and misunderstood.”

She said the program feeds into the Buddy System culture that Glenmeadow is growing, through which residents are paired with a companion and have the opportunity to build meaningful, long-term relationships. “This allows our residents to feel a new connection with someone and feel that they have a friend who is interested in them,” Lavoie said.

As part of its strategic plan, Glenmeadow has enhanced its focus on dementia care, and Lavoie said this volunteer offering is yet another way to offer support to those in the community living with dementia, or those in their families.

Glenmeadow also offers a new Memory Café, a monthly gathering for people living with dementia and their caregivers, and it offers two monthly Caregivers Support Groups to professionals and family members who are assisting someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia.

Glenmeadow is also part of the Dementia Friendly Longmeadow initiative, through which varying programs are held throughout the year in Longmeadow.

Lavoie was recently certified in PAC and is able to train volunteers in developing a positive outlook in working with people who are living with dementia. “We are developing a new culture around dementia, trying to remove the stigma,” she said. “We want to train people to focus on the person who is still here and his or her strengths, rather than on the skills and abilities they might have lost.”

To volunteer at Glenmeadow or for information on the support groups or Dementia Tour, contact Lavoie at 413-355-5905 or llavoie@glenmeadow.org.

Established in 1884, Glenmeadow is a nonprofit, accredited life plan community; it provides independent and assisted living at its campus at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow and expanded Glenmeadow at Home services throughout greater Springfield.  

To learn more about Glenmeadow and its history and offerings, visit www.glenmeadow.org.

About Glenmeadow

In the 1800s, elderly individuals without family or means were sent to live at what was called “the poor farm.”  In 1884, a group of civic leaders raised funds among themselves and other area families and purchased a house on Main Street in Springfield’s south end, establishing The Springfield Home for Aged Women. Quickly outgrowing that house, land was purchased on the corner of Chestnut and Carew streets, where a new home was constructed and opened in 1900.  In 1960, the name was changed to Chestnut Knoll, and, in 1992, it began to admit men.

In 1993, the organization purchased a 23-acre parcel in Longmeadow to build a new community that would provide both independent living and assisted living in one building with various common areas.  This was a new concept known as a continuing care retirement community. Existing residents from the old Chestnut Knoll property were moved to the new campus in 1997. Shortly after the move, the board voted to change its legal name to Glenmeadow to coincide with the name being used by the developer of the property.

Continuing care retirement communities are now referred to as life plan communities, responding to the needs of the aging population with new opportunities for care, plus creative, educational and personal exploration. Glenmeadow offerings, which include everything from senior living options and handyman services to personal care and travel programs, are provided at its Longmeadow campus and across the region through Glenmeadow at Home. Glenmeadow strives to fulfill its mission of nurturing the whole person in mind, body and spirit.

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