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Employee volunteers help paint the historic white fence at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield.
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Bank volunteers partnered with the Trustees of Reservations at Monument Mountain in Great Barrington to mulch trailheads and paint the new visitor kiosk.

Berkshire Bank Completes Companywide Week of Service

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Bank volunteers repair and restore benches at Hancock Shaker Village.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Nearly 350 Berkshire Bank employees completed more than 20 community service projects as part of the bank’s Companywide Week of Service June 8-12.  

The week of service is an expansion of the bank’s highly successful day of service that took place in previous years. The 2015 week of service represented the highest number of employee participants and most projects undertaken during a single week in the company’s history.

The series of projects benefited nonprofit organizations and communities across Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont.  Local Berkshire Bank employees, who serve as leaders of the company’s XTEAM volunteer program, selected and organized the projects in their markets. This year’s activities included:

* Great Barrington, The Trustees of Reservations: Fifteen employees undertook a series of improvement projects alongside Trustees staff at Monument Mountain.  Projects included mulching the trailheads, painting the visitor kiosk, and painting the new visitor hut.

* Pittsfield, Hancock Shaker Village: Forty employees undertook a series of projects to assist in public access, public safety and visitor experience improvements throughout the property, which included repairing and repainting the iconic white fence, painting the historic woodshed, and rebuilding the boardwalk.

* South Hadley, Birthday Wishes: Five employees helped organize the Birthday Wishes supply room in South Hadley, making it easier for volunteers to locate needed items.  Birthday Wishes provides birthday parties to children living in transitional housing.

* Springfield, Forest Park Zoo: Twenty employees helped with a series of beautification projects to improve the ascetic appearance for visitors.  Projects included planting flowers, weeding and mulching throughout the zoo.

* Springfield, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Springfield: Fifteen employees helped construct a new home for a local family in need in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Employees also presented Habitat with a check for the funds raised through Berkshire Bank Foundation’s Hockey 4 Housing campaign with NESN.

* Worcester, Habitat for Humanity MetroWest: Twelve employees helped rehab the former College Hill Civic Association property into a home for veterans.  Employees also presented Habitat with a check for the funds raised through Berkshire Bank Foundation’s Hockey 4 Housing campaign with NESN.

* Brighton, Cradles to Crayons: Twenty employees worked in the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory to help package school supplies for children in need.  Cradles to Crayons provides children birth through age 12 living in low-income situations with the essential items they need to thrive at home, school and play.

* Hartford, Conn., Dress for Success Hartford: Five employees helped set-up Dress for Success Hartford’s annual Capital Catwalk event.  Employee volunteers helped with all aspects of the event including arranging tables, distributing programs and making sure restaurant tables are ready for use.

* Greater Hartford, Conn., United Way of Central & Northeastern Connecticut: All Berkshire Bank branch employees in Connecticut helped assemble Literacy Boxes at their branch locations in partnership with the United Way throughout the week of service.  The boxes were given to local children to help encourage summer learning.

* Latham, N.Y., Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York: Sixty employees worked in shifts of 20 on three separate volunteer events with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.  Volunteers helped sort donated food items at the Food Bank’s warehouse in Latham, NY.

* Claverack, N.Y., Columbia County Habitat for Humanity: Four employees worked to organize donated items at Columbia County Habitat for Humanity ReStore.



* Amsterdam, N.Y., St. Luke’s Soup Kitchen: Five employees served meals to those in need.

* Amsterdam, N.Y., Catholic Charities of Amsterdam: Five employees helped stock the shelves of the food pantry.  The food pantry serves those in need throughout the Amsterdam community.

* Syracuse, N.Y., Samaritan Center: Forty employees from Berkshire Bank’s offices in the greater Syracuse area helped prepare and serve breakfast and dinner at the Samaritan Center in downtown Syracuse.

* West Winfield, N.Y., American Red Cross: Ten employees helped register donors for the blood drive and monitor the canteen providing snacks to those who have donated blood.

* Utica, N.Y., Utica Zoo: Ten employees helped beautify the grounds of the zoo, completing a variety of landscaping projects.

* Utica, N.Y., Utica Rescue Mission: Ten employees helped prepare and serve meals to residents in need.

* Utica, N.Y., United Way of the Valley & Greater Utica: Eight employees helped serve beverages at Saranac Thursday in Utica. The funds raised through the effort support the United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica’s mission.

* Rome, N.Y., Ava Dorfman Senior Center: Fifteen employees helped beautify the grounds of the Ava Dorfman Senior Center in Rome by planting flowers and building raised garden beds.

* Manchester, Vt., Hildene: Eight employees helped paint fencing and picnic tables at the Hildene.  The projects helped get the property ready for the influx of summer visitors.

* Manchester, Vt., Habitat for Humanity of Bennington County: Ten employees helped construct a new home for a local family in need in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.. Employees also presented Habitat with a check for the funds raised through Berkshire Bank Foundation’s Hockey 4 Housing campaign with NESN.

* Rutland, Vt., Meals on Wheels of Rutland County: Four employees helped plant various vegetable and spice plants. The fresh ingredients will be used by Meals on Wheels in Rutland County as they prepare fresh meals for local seniors.

“We were so pleased to give back in this meaningful way through our company-wide effort," said Lori Gazzillo, vice president and director of Berkshire Bank Foundation. "We’re proud of our employees’ involvement and the growth of our volunteer day into a week dedicated to service, which speaks to our values as a company and commitment to making a difference in our community.”

The Company-Wide Week of Service is part of the bank’s XTEAM, its nationally acclaimed Employee Volunteer Program, which provides employees with paid time off to volunteer during regular business hours. The program helps employees get involved in volunteerism, teaches team work, builds employee morale and creates a positive impact on the non-profit organizations and communities it helps. In 2014, 71 percent of Berkshire Bank’s employees donated over 41,000 hours of service to benefit community organizations across the bank’s service area.

 


Tags: Berkshire Bank,   community service,   

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Central Berkshire School Officials OK $35M Budget

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee approved a $35 million budget for fiscal 2025 during its meeting on Thursday.
 
Much of the proposed spending plan is similar to what was predicted in the initial and tentative budget presentations, however, the district did work with the Finance subcommittee to further offset the assessments to the towns, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said. 
 
"What you're going see in this budget is a lower average assessment to the towns than what you saw in the other in the tentative budget that was approved," she said. 
 
The fiscal 2025 budget is $35,428,892, a 5.56 percent or $1,867,649, over this year's $33,561,243.
 
"This is using our operating funds, revolving revenue or grant revenue. So what made up the budget for the tentative budget is pretty much the same," Director of Finance and Operations Gregory Boino said.
 
"We're just moving around funds … so, we're using more of the FY25 rural aid funds instead of operating funds next year."
 
Increases the district has in the FY25 operating budget are from active employee health insurance, retiree health insurance, special education out-of-district tuition, temporary bond principal and interest payment, pupil transportation, Berkshire County Retirement contributions, and the federal payroll tax. 
 
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