Join us for the Polish Center Annual Golf Classic on Monday, June 2 at Ludlow Country Club! This fun-filled scramble-format tournament includes free lunch and dinner, exciting raffle prizes, and a great day on the course—all to benefit the Polish Center of Discovery and Learning. Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or just in it for fun, all are welcome. Sponsored by the Polish National Credit Union, this event supports the preservation and promotion of Polish heritage. Can’t attend? You can still show your support by purchasing a $100 tee sign sponsorship through the Eventbrite link.
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Successful Radiothon
The 2025 94.7 WMAS Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon raised $256,235 for Baystate Children’s Hospital, bringing the grand total to more than $3.3 million over the event’s history. The annual radiothon, held on March 4-5, featured heartwarming stories from patients, families, and caregivers. Funds raised during the radiothon will support various critical needs, including pediatric care, equipment purchases, creating a child-friendly and comforting environment in the hospital, and supporting pediatric research.
Pictured: Chris Kellogg and Dina McMahon from the WMAS Kellogg Krew with a young patient during the radiothon.
Welcome to Holyoke
The Greater Holyoke Chamber presented a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 26 to welcome Urban Co-Works to its new location at 98 Lower Westfield Road. Urban Co-Works, a leading provider of innovative and flexible co-working spaces, aims to support professionals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses by providing a creative and collaborative environment tailored to their needs. “Urban Co-Works has always been passionate about building strong communities,” CEO Jeff Goronkin said, “and we’re excited to bring that energy to Holyoke.”
The Greater Holyoke Chamber presented a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 26 to welcome Urban Co-Works to its new location at 98 Lower Westfield Road
Baystate Legacy Gift
The generosity of Diane Gallan, who passed away last year at 86, has led to the creation of the Gordon J. Gallan, Dorothy E. Gallan, and Bruce F. Gallan Endowed Chair – Regional Cancer Program at Baystate Health, established in memory of her father, mother, and brother, respectively. This chair is currently held by Dr. Rawad Elias, chief of Baystate’s Division of Hematology/Oncology.
Pictured, from left: Mark Teed, principal of Teed Capital Management of Raymond James and Baystate Health board of trustees member; Dr. Richard Steingart, medical director, Adult Hematology, D’Amour Center for Cancer Care; Elias; and Dr. Andrew Artenstein, chief physician assistant, Baystate Health.
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Driving for the Cure
The 16th annual Tom Cosenzi Driving for the Cure Charity Golf Tournament, held on Sept. 26, 2024 at Twin Hills Country Club, exceeded all expectations by raising $176,500, the largest amount ever raised in the tournament’s 16-year history. This brings the total raised over the years to more than $1.8 million, all in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s neuro-oncology research.
Pictured, from left: Tommy Cosenzi and Carla Cosenzi, co-founders of the Tom Cosenzi Driving For The Cure Charity Golf Tournament, and Dr. Patrick Wen, director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Attitude of Gratitude
Pioneer Valley Financial Group (PV Financial) announced a partnership with Baystate Health in recognition of the care provided by the Davis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit staff. PV Financial was inspired to collaborate with the Baystate Health Foundation after Andrea Lebeau, a member of the PV Financial team, experienced an emergency early delivery of her daughter, Blake, who required a 102-day stay in Baystate Health’s NICU. PV Financial has made a $5,000 donation to support the Davis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and its staff also volunteered at the Baystate Health Foundation’s annual radiothon, held in partnership with WMAS 94.7.
Pictured: Lebeau with her husband, Shawn, and daughter Blake.
Being a Blessing
Allied Flooring, Paint & Design and Budget Cabinets recently donated $1,213.98, along with three boxes of life essentials, to Jenna’s Blessing Bags, a nonprofit dedicated to providing backpacks filled with necessities for those in need. The donation was the result of a successful holiday collection drive. The funds and donated supplies will go toward helping individuals experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Pictured: Kevin Montemagni, board member of Jenna’s Blessing Bags, and Becky Tedeschi, president of Allied Flooring, Paint & Design.
Regional Philanthropic Opportunities
Click on the image to view the PDF flipbook
The importance of giving to those in need — and to the organizations who help others secure their basic needs — doesn’t take a holiday, and there’s no season of the year when their work is not critical, especially at a time when an uncertain economy continues to pose challenges to so many individuals and nonprofits.
Still, there’s no doubt that people think about giving more around the year-end holidays, and that’s why BusinessWest and the Healthcare News publishes its annual Giving Guide around this time: to shine a spotlight on specific community needs and show you not only how to support them, but exactly what your money and time can accomplish.
These 25 profiles of area nonprofit organizations are just a sampling of the region’s thousands of nonprofits. These profiles are intended to educate readers about what these groups are doing to improve quality of life for the people living and working in the 413, but also to inspire them to provide the critical support (which comes in many different forms) that these organizations and so many others desperately need.
These profiles within the Giving Guide list not only giving opportunities — everything from online donations to corporate sponsorships — but also volunteer opportunities. And it is through volunteering, as much as with a cash donation, that individuals can help a nonprofit carry out its important mission within our community.
BusinessWest and HCN launched the Giving Guide to 2011 to harness this region’s incredibly strong track record of philanthropy and support of the organizations dedicated to helping those in need. This special section is designed to inform, but also to encourage individuals and organizations to find new and imaginative ways to give back. We are confident it will succeed with both of those assignments
Joseph Bednar, Editor
John Gormally, Publisher
Kate Campiti, Associate Publisher
View the 2024 Giving Guide PDF Flipbook HERE
Behavioral Health Network
A Better Life HomeCare
BFAIR
Glenmeadow
Community Health Center of Franklin County
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture
Home City Development
Jeffrey Speller Foundation
JGS Lifecare
Mental Health Association (MHA)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services
Mercy Medical Center
The Miracle League of Western Massachusetts
Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts
Rachel’s Table of Western Massachusetts
Square One
STCC Foundation
Tom Cosenzi Driving for the Cure Charity Golf Tournament
UCP of Western Massachusetts
United Way of Pioneer Valley
Way Finders
Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts
YMCA of Greater Springfield
The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center
YWCA of Western Massachusetts
Presented by:
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Supportive Connections
Florence Bank recently sponsored Cancer Connection’s 2024 Harvest Dinner and Silent Auction on Oct. 17 with a $7,000 gift to support the organization, which serves as a haven for people with a cancer diagnosis and their caregivers. Offering a broad range of free services, the nonprofit will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year.
Pictured: Shelley Daughdrill (left), Retail Banking director and senior vice president of Retail Administration at Florence Bank, with Chelsea Kline, executive director of Cancer Connection.
Fore a Good Cause
PDC Inc., a leading walls and ceilings contractor with offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, raised a grand total of $100,000 during its ninth annual golf tournament held on Sept. 5 at Crestview Country Club in Agawam. Of that, $50,000 was donated to the Gray House Inc. in Springfield, and the other half benefited 87 charities primarily located throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, in addition to several national organizations.
Pictured: PDC Inc. co-owners Ron Perry (left) and Nick Shaink (right) present a check to Kristen McClintock, executive director of the Gray House.
Boosting a Community Resource
Monson Savings Bank recently presented a $1,000 donation to Monson Free Library as part of the 2024 Monson Savings Bank Community Giving Initiative, in which the public was given the opportunity to vote on which nonprofits would receive a donation from the bank in 2024. A valuable resource center for people of all ages, the library offers educational tools through diverse collections, services, technology, and programming.
Pictured: Hope Bodwell (left), Monson Free Library director, with Michael Rouette, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Monson Savings Bank.
Allied for Two Charities
Through its first annual charity golf tournament at Crestview Country Club, Allied Flooring, Paint and Design and Budget Cabinet Sales made donations to two local charities: $10,429.86 to Junior Achievement (JA) of Western Massachusetts and $10,429.86 to Gándara Center in Holyoke.
Pictured: from left, Allied President Mario Tedeschi, JA of Western Massachusetts President Amie Miarecki, JA board co-chair Tracey Alves, JA board member Joe Williams, and Allied President of Sales Jorge Morgado.
Pictured: from left, Tedeschi, Gándara Center CEO Lois Nesci, and Morgado.
Critical Donations
On Oct. 9, the Palmer Ambulance Service sponsored its fourth annual Ambulance, Police and Fire Department Blood Drive in partnership with the Baystate Health Blood Donor Team at Baystate Wing Hospital (pictured with Palmer Ambulance Service EMT Mary Lee Frydryk, center). “One donation can save up to three lives,” said Nicole VanZandt, supervisor of BRL Blood Donor Services. “We are grateful to the Palmer Ambulance Service and the Palmer Police and Fire Department team members who gave blood. As a result of their friendly competition, we received 26 blood donations.”
Baystate Health Blood Donor Team at Baystate Wing Hospital pictured with Palmer Ambulance Service EMT Mary Lee Frydryk, center.
Email ‘Picture This’ photos with a caption and contact information to [email protected]m
Thriller of a Gift
Pictured, from left: Stacey Warren, Hampton Inn and chamber 5K committee co-chair; Kate Riley, Riley Home Realty and chamber 5K committee; Melissa Breor, Chicopee Chamber of Commerce executive director; Aida Gaouette, Lorraine’s board member; Cathy Desorcy, Lorraine’s board secretary; Kim Caisse, Lorraine’s executive director; Kenneth Fontanez, Westfield Bank and Lorraine’s board member; and Heather Leclerc, Riley Home Realty and Lorraine’s board member.
The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce presented a $4,172 donation to Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen & Pantry, the result of the chamber’s 2022 Thriller 5K held at the end of October. On race day, 236 pounds of food donations were also collected for Lorraine’s.
Marathon Effort
Rock 102 hosted its 29th annual Mayflower Marathon food drive to benefit Springfield’s Open Pantry
On the three days before Thanksgiving, Rock 102 hosted its 29th annual Mayflower Marathon food drive to benefit Springfield’s Open Pantry. This year, the tradition found a new home at MGM Springfield, where Bax & Nagle broadcast for 52 hours while collecting non-perishable food donations for Open Pantry. The effort filled more than three 53-foot tractor-trailer trucks and raised more than $174,000 in food and cash donations. The Springfield Thunderbirds Foundation added a donation of $10,500 in both cash and food.
Supporting Critical Work
The Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. (MBA) recently awarded the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin (CAC) a $5,000 grant
The Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. (MBA) recently awarded the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin (CAC) a $5,000 grant, thanks to a nomination from Greenfield Cooperative Bank. The MBA Charitable Foundation awarded 52 grants, totaling $162,000, to nonprofits over eight geographic regions across the Commonwealth. Member banks were asked to nominate deserving organizations in their community. CAC Executive Director Irene Woods (center) noted that “this award will allow us to meet the mental-health needs of children that have experienced sexual abuse and have had their worlds turned upside down by trauma.”
Regional Philanthropic Opportunities
Click on the image to open the PDF Flipbook
When importance of giving to those in need — and to the organizations who help others secure their basic needs — doesn’t take a holiday, and there’s no season of the year when their work is not critical, especially at a time when the pandemic is barely in the rear-view mirror and an uncertain economy continues to pose challenges to so many individuals and nonprofits.
Still, there’s no doubt that people think about giving more around the year-end holidays, and that’s why BusinessWest and the Healthcare News publishes its annual Giving Guide around this time: to shine a spotlight on specific community needs and show you not only how to support them, but exactly what your money and time can accomplish.
On the pages that follow are profiles of 15 area nonprofit organizations, just a sampling of the region’s thousands of nonprofits. These profiles are intended to educate readers about what these groups are doing to improve quality of life for the people living and working in the 413, but also to inspire them to provide the critical support (which comes in many different forms) that these organizations and so many others so desperately need.
These profiles within the Giving Guide list not only giving opportunities — everything from online donations to corporate sponsorships — but also volunteer opportunities. And it is through volunteering, as much as with a cash donation, that individuals can help a nonprofit carry out its important mission within our community. And check out the giving opportunities being promoted by countless nonprofits on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29.
BusinessWest and HCN launched the Giving Guide to 2011 to harness this region’s incredibly strong track record of philanthropy and support of the organizations dedicated to helping those in need. The publication is designed to inform, but also to encourage individuals and organizations to find new and imaginative ways to give back. We are confident it will succeed with both of those assignments.
George O’Brien, Editor and Associate Publisher
John Gormally, Publisher
Kate Campiti, Sales Manager and Associate Publisher
View the 2022 Giving Guide PDF Flipbook HERE
A Better Life Homecare, LLC
Children’s Advocacy Center
of Hampshire County Inc.
Holyoke Chicopee Springfield
Head Start Inc.
Home City Development, Inc. 24
Link to Libraries
Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services
Mental Health Association Inc.
Pathlight
Tom Cosenzi Driving For The Cure
Charity Golf Tournament
United Way of Pioneer Valley
Downtown Springfield YMCA/
Scantic Valley YMCA
YWCA of Western Massachusetts
Baystate Health Foundation
Glenmeadow
JGS LIFECARE
Presented by:
