HOLYOKE — The Dowd Insurance Agencies, LLC, a leading insurance provider serving New England since 1898, has donated a total of $3,250 to five charities since the beginning of the year as it celebrates its 125th anniversary.

“One of the ways we are celebrating this milestone anniversary is by donating to charities that our employees support and believe in. We will do this throughout the year on a monthly basis. It is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the community that has supported us for 125 years,” said John Dowd Jr., president and CEO of the Dowd Agencies. “We are proud of our long legacy and extremely humbled by the trust residents and businesses have placed in us for well over a century.”

Charities were determined by polling employees. So far in 2023, the Dowd Agencies donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes for children diagnosed with critical illnesses; Community Music School of Springfield, which provides arts education to local students; Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Holyoke, which provides horseback riding to children and adults with disabilities; Shriners Children’s, which provides critical medical care to children; and Homework House Inc., in Holyoke, which provides free tutoring and mentoring for children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The Dowd Agencies will continue to donate to charities selected by its employees throughout the remainder of the year.

HOLYOKE — The Dowd Agencies and the J. Raymond Lussier Insurance Agency announced they have merged their operations and will be known as Lussier-Dowd Insurance.

The merger and addition of a branch in West Springfield expands Dowd’s footprint to six offices located throughout the Pioneer Valley. The new office, located at 181 Park Ave., is minutes from Routes 5 and 20, and Interstates 91, 291 and 391. An open house will be planned at a later date.

“We’re excited for the Lussier Agency to be part of our team. I have known the Lussier family for many years, and they have always been a highly professional, customer-driven insurance agency,” said John Dowd Jr., president and CEO of the Dowd Agencies. “We are also excited to have a location in the fine town of West Springfield.”

The West Springfield office will be a full-service insurance agency providing personal, commercial, wealth-management, and employee-benefits products and services.

A native of West Springfield, David Griffin Jr., vice president of the Dowd Agencies, said he is excited about his company planting roots in his hometown. “I was born and raised in West Side, so it is particularly exciting for me. More importantly, West Side is a great and vibrant town here in Western Mass.”

The Lussier-Dowd Insurance Agency is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be reached by calling (413) 737-5359.

A full-service agency, the Dowd Agencies has been helping individuals and businesses in Western Mass. with their personal insurance, commercial insurance, employee benefits, and financial needs for more than 120 years. Established in Holyoke in 1898, the Dowd Agencies is the oldest insurance agency in Massachusetts with operations and management under continuous family ownership.