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A group of 14 Country Bank employees recently joined forces with Habitat for Humanity Metro West/Greater Worcester in a team-building exercise that ended with a local veteran family receiving a unique gift: a custom playhouse. Habitat’s Operation Playhouse is a program designed to allow groups to come together to create and complete a custom playhouse in one day. The opportunity to work together and collaborate on design and construction of the house is wrapped up with the reward of seeing it turned over to a local veteran and their children. “Working with the Habitat staff was seamless, and the day couldn’t have been more rewarding,” said Deb Gagnon, Corporate Relations officer, Country Bank. “Completing the playhouse gave us all a sense of accomplishment, and when the family arrived to receive their gift, there wasn’t a dry eye around.”

Eighty-five Massachusetts companies were honored at the Boston Business Journal’s 11th annual Corporate Citizenship Summit on Sept. 8 at the EpiCenter at Artists for Humanity in Boston. For the ninth time, PeoplesBank was among the companies included, this year finishing 48th on the statewide list and third for companies headquartered in Western Mass. Matthew Bannister, vice president, Corporate Responsibility at PeoplesBank (pictured at left, with Thomas Senecal, president and CEO), accepted the award at the summit on behalf of the bank’s associates. “Our mutual charter supports everything we do and why we are succeeding as a community bank,” he said. “Because of our mutual charter and related values, we have a unique ability to help the communities we serve through volunteer efforts and millions of dollars in donations to charitable and civic causes.”

On Aug. 21, 180 bicyclists, runners, and walkers gathered for the ninth annual Wheeling for Healing ride, walk, and run event in Greenfield to support cancer care and services at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. “Thanks to the wonderful fund-raising efforts from our community and support from our sponsors, we were able to raise over $46,500 this year, bringing our total funds raised for Baystate Franklin Medical Center Oncology to over $286,000,” said Kathy Tobin, director, Annual Giving & Events, Baystate Health Foundation. Proceeds from Wheeling for Healing events are used to purchase medical equipment and comfort items for patients undergoing chemotherapy at Baystate Franklin Medical Center. Proceeds have also assisted patients with extraordinary expenses associated with their illness, including medicines not covered by their insurance.

Springfield Technical Community College kicked off its year-long 50th-anniversary celebration with a Founders Day Convocation on Sept. 9. The event honored the four founders — Edmond Garvey, the school’s first president; then-Springfield Mayor Charlie Ryan; state Rep. Anthony Scibelli; and industrialist Joseph Deliso — and briefly traced the history of the college through today. Ryan and family members representing the other three founders (all deceased) were presented with commemorative plaques in the form of photo montages of their careers and contributions to the college. Top to bottom: from left, retired STCC President Ira Rubenzahl, Mayor Ryan, retired STCC President Andrew Scibelli (Anthony’s nephew), current Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, and current STCC President John Cook; members of the Garvey family, from left, Sandra Garvey, her husband, James Garvey (Edmond’s son), Pauline Kimball (Edmond Garvey’s niece), and her son, Robert Kimball; Andrew Scibelli with the plaque commemorating his uncle’s contributions; and, representing the Deliso family, back row, Clem Deliso (Joe’s son), Jean Deliso (Joe’s granddaughter), right, and Lisa Doherty, and in front, Joe’s great-grandsons, Spence Doherty Deliso, left, and Clement Joseph Doherty Deliso.