Day: August 16, 2018

GREENFIELD — For the third year in a row, Caryl Connor of the Mortgage Department of Greenfield Savings Bank has been named the area bank’s ‘Number One Mortgage Originator’ (by number of loans) according to the journal Banker & Tradesman.

Banker And Tradesman’s 5^th Annual Top Loan Originators report also ranked O’Connor the area bank’s ‘Number Two Top Loan Originator,’ by total dollar amount of loans and the ‘Sixth Top Loan Originator in the State,’ based on number of loans.  

“Caryl has earned a reputation with customers for her commitment to providing them with exceptional service,” said Lori Grover, senior vice president and senior residential lending officer of Greenfield Savings Bank. “Caryl worked very hard for this achievement and all of us at the bank are proud of her.”

Founded in 1869, Greenfield Savings Bank has 135 employees and has offices and ATMs throughout Franklin and Hampshire counties and has just recently opened additional offices in Hampshire County in downtown Northampton and downtown Amherst and Hadley.

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Community College (BCC) has been awarded a nearly $200,000 grant from Guardian Life Insurance Company of America for a proposal to expand the college’s financial literacy programming to continue offering, at no cost to students, the Money Management for Life course, as well as debt forgiveness grants. 

The grant will also support hiring a new financial services coach at the College, offering paid internships to students, and expanded marketing for the Guardian-supported efforts.

“We are so excited to have received these funds from Guardian for the proposal that a brilliant team here at the College put together to help our students in their financial literacy endeavors,” said Ellen Kennedy, president of the College. “This program will really change lives.”

The college received an initial grant last year from Guardian to begin offering a free three-credit course to students called BUS 139 – Money Management for Life. The class covers strategies to help students manage budgets, expenses, and debt; save and invest for the future; plan for the unexpected; and establish personal financial plans to achieve their goals. It is being offered again this fall, both on the main campus and at the South County Center.

In the funding for 2018-2019, the college’s proposal included hiring a full-time student financial literacy coach, who will promote and coordinate financial literacy initiatives across the campus. The coach will help students understand their financial health, develop a new Guardian Internship program, and collaborate with community organizations in Berkshire County to promote financial literacy through workshops and outreach events. This will be a new position at the college that will help students not only to successfully repay loans, but also to manage their finances on a daily basis.

“This grant really will help our students succeed personally, financially, and on their academic pathway,” said Charles Kaminski, dean of Business, Science, Mathematics and Technology. “Between the Guardian Value scholarships that are being offered to help pay some of our students’ debt to having a person at the College you can talk to about managing your money — this is a big win for our students and the community overall.”

The grant from Guardian will also help pay for the textbooks for the Money Management for Life class, and it will help pay the student accounts community college debt (up to $1,800 per student that qualifies) for up to 32 students over the course of the year. Students who receive this tuition reimbursement will also be enrolled in the Personal Money Management class.

Over the course of the year, the grant will also help develop a new internship program for students and help to connect BCC’s academic programs with the community to place students in internship positions. The student financial literacy coach will oversee and evaluate this program, and work closely with the coordinator of Career Services to place students in the internship program.

 

SPRINGFIELD — Big Y Foods announced that the company’s fourth annual “May is Pet Month” initiative has resulted in donations of close to 25,000 pounds of pet food and supplies to 45 different local animal shelters.

The program, which ran in all 70 Big Y markets from April 26 through May 30, encouraged shoppers to purchase food and other supplies for a local shelter as part of the company’s ongoing effort to give back to the community.

Each Big Y enjoyed decorating their store’s donation bins with pictures of their family pets. Many customers also donated other needed pet items such as collars, leashes, cat litter, and pet toys.

In addition to food and supply donations, Big Y partnered with iHeartRadio to collect donations at the checkout. More than $100,000 was raised from these donations to be distributed to the Humane Society of Connecticut, Kenway’s Cause, Fur Gotten Tails Animal Rescue, and the MSPCA of Massachusetts.

One focus this year was on Pure Harmony, Big Y’s own brand of high quality pet food that provides options for grain free, meat, poultry or fish as the first ingredient, and is carefully blended with real, wholesome ingredients from a variety of food groups.

Big Y’s fourth annual pet month has resulted in a four-year total of over 175,000 pounds of pet food and supplies donated to local shelters and a total of $175,500 raised.

Dress for Success Western Massachusetts will host a clothing tag sale at the Eastfield Mall to raise funds and awareness of its mission of helping women achieve their goal of creating a better life. Women may choose from an extensive array of work-suitable clothing, shoes, accessories, and more.  

These new and gently used clothing include selections from name-brand fashion houses including Anne Klein, Evan Picone, Ellen Tracy, and many more. People can fill a shopping bag for only $25.   

There is an abundance of clothing, so items in the tag sale will be restocked throughout the three days. Dates are: Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Aug. 18 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Aug. 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  On Friday, opening day, there will be a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday are referring agency days. 

The event will be held in the Eastfield Mall at 1655 Boston Road, Springfield, where Dress for Success maintains a boutique managed by Sally Rueli. MassMutual is a sponsor of the tag sale. 

All proceeds will benefit Dress for Success Western Massachusetts. Volunteers are needed for the event. If you are interested, please contact [email protected].