Company Notebook

First Niagara Invests $50,000 to Support
At-risk Teens
SPRINGFIELD — The YMCA of Greater Springfield and the YMCA of Greater Hartford have received $50,000 grants from First Niagara Bank to support their Y-AIM Programs. Y-AIM (Achieve academically; Inspire to attend college; Move toward personal, family, and community advancement) works to provide talented, underachieving at-risk youths entering the ninth grade with a solid support system throughout all four years of high school. The YMCAs are taking a regional approach to overcoming the obstacles young people face on the path to success. “Business partners in our region have long supported the mission of the YMCA — particularly our work with teens,” said Kirk Smith, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Springfield. “First Niagara and its employees have given thousands of volunteer service hours to young people throughout the Northeast, and they are making the Hartford/Springfield region a better place for kids and families. We are grateful for their forward-thinking approach of addressing these vital needs on a regional basis.”

Hampden Bancorp Feted by Boston Club for Women on Board of Directors
SPRINGFIELD — Hampden Bancorp, the parent company of Hampden Bank, was recently recognized by the Boston Club as one of the leading New England companies having two or more women serving on its board of directors. This recognition, reserved for those organizations dedicated to the advancement of women to top leadership positions, was presented at the club’s annual Corporate Salute in Marblehead. “We are especially proud of this recognition in that it confirms what we have always believed — that leadership is leadership regardless of gender,” said Glenn Welch, president and COO of Hampden Bank and board member of Hampden Bancorp Inc. “We are also extremely proud of the women who serve in key leadership positions, including our senior management team and throughout our entire organization.” Hampden Bancorp has 11 members on its board of directors, including Judith Kennedy; Kathleen O’Brien Moore; Arlene Putnam; Mary Ellen Scott; Linda Silva Thompson; Thomas Burton, vice chair; Richard Kos; Stanley Kowalski Jr.; Richard Suski; Welch; and Stuart Young Jr., chairman of the board. The Boston Club is one of the largest communities of women executives and professional leaders in the Northeast. Its goal is to impel the advancement of women to top leadership positions.

Link to Libraries
Receives Award from Monson Savings
MONSON — Link to Libraries was among the top 10 organizations recently recognized by Monson Savings Bank through its community-giving program. More than 65 organizations doing community-service work participated in the voting, and Link to Libraries came in as one of the top 10 organizations honored by public vote. “It is an honor to be recognized for work we do in the community and to be recognized by both Monson Savings Bank and the public,” said Susan Jaye-Kaplan, Link to Libraries co-founder. “We truly feel privileged to do the work we do and thank Steven Lowell and the Monson Savings Bank community.” Lowell, president of Monson Savings Bank, made the recent presentation to Jaye-Kaplan. Link to Libraries is a local, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to donate books to underserved youth in public elementary schools and nonprofit organizations in Western Mass. and Connecticut. For more information, visit www.linktolibraries.org or call (413) 224-1031.

Stevens 470 Updates Marketing Strategies
for Arbors Kids
WESTFIELD — Stevens 470 recently developed advertising and marketing materials for the Arbors Kids, a family-owned business that offers child-care services, summer camps, and before- and afterschool programs. The Arbors Kids also recently opened an additional child-care center in East Longmeadow. The project also included a brand update, with new collateral and information sheets for every Arbors Kids location. Stevens 470 also designed and built a new Web site that reflects the wide range of child-care services offered by the Arbors Kids. The new Web site is easy to navigate and built on a content-management system that allows the Arbors Kids to edit and create its own content, as well as update and manage pages. The Web site also features responsive design that will change in appearance to fit the viewer’s screen size (computer, tablet, or smartphone) for maximum readability. For more information on the Arbors Kids, visit www.arborskids.com.

Students Plan
Globetrotting Excursions During Spring Vacation
WILBRAHAM — Many students at Wilbraham & Monson Academy will travel the globe on school-sponsored trips that include India, England, and Italy during the school’s March vacation. Trips are offered to provide students with a deeper understanding of the places, people, and cultures they study at the academy. Students traveling to India will spend the school’s traditional spring vacation learning about the economic shifts within the world’s largest democracy and the diversity of religions that coexist in the subcontinent. Students traveling to England will be housed at Plymouth College, a boarding school where they will be immersed in British boarding-school life. Additionally, the group will spend time visiting historical sites in the south of England as well as London. In Italy, students will explore some of the most remarkable contributions to Western art and design from Italian culture, ranging from the ancient Romans to modern designers. Before each trip, students are given selected readings that will prepare them for the sites they will visit and give them appropriate cultural, historic, and political information about the country.