Berkshire Life Honored by Hillcrest Educational Centers
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Hillcrest Educational Centers has presented its highest
award for community service to Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America and the Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation. The award acknowledged Berkshire Life’s role in two key programs – the Housatonic Academy and Hillcrest Dental Care – serving children, families and veterans in the Berkshire region. Caption: Joan Bancroft, President of Berkshire Life, accepts the Judge John A. Barry Community Service Award from Hillcrest CEO/President Gerard Burke.
Photo: Courtesy of Hillcrest Educational Centers
Hillcrest granted the Judge John A. Barry Community Service Award in front of 250 attendees at the 8th Annual Robert “Bees” Prendergast St. Patrick’s celebration March 18. In presenting the award to Berkshire Life CEO Joan Bancroft, Hillcrest Executive Vice President Shaun Cusson said, “For over 150 years Berkshire Life has not just contributed and supported our community; they have helped build our community.” Funding from Berkshire Life played a key role in the expansion of services at Hillcrest Dental, the largest oral healthcare provider to low income and special needs patients in Western Massachusetts.
The program serves nearly 6,000 Berkshire County residents annually, an increase of 1,000 in just the past year. Hillcrest Dental Care partners with area non-profit and human service providers to help clients of Soldier On and Berkshire County ARC, among many others.
Berkshire Life also provided key support for the Housatonic Academy, Hillcrest’s therapeutic day school in Pittsfield. The Academy is Berkshire County’s only day school providing special education programming for boys and girls ages 6-17 who need more specialized and intensive services than can be provided by area public schools.
Cusson said, “In addition to their corporate support, Berkshire Life rewards and inspires their staff to volunteer by providing grants to support those agencies where their staff donates their time and talent. A tremendous spirit of giving runs throughout their organization.”
Bancroft recognized the dedication of the Hillcrest staff saying, “Our partnership with Hillcrest over the past several years has been especially rewarding and gratifying because of the wonderful people at Hillcrest who emote this feeling that we need to give and give more, not just in dollars but in time and effort. We are honored and happy to accept this award.”
CEO/President Gerard Burke said, “As a group of people, Berkshire Life shows a level of class, professionalism and integrity that you don’t see every day in other organizations.”
Proceeds of the event, held at the Berkshire Hills Country Club, benefit the educational programs at Hillcrest Educational Centers. Massachusetts Lt. Governor Timothy Murray was honored as Hillcrest’s “Irish Person of the Year.”
About Berkshire Life:
Headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America, is a wholly owned stock subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, N.Y. Its key missions are to grow Guardian’s disability income and long-term care lines of business and to research and develop new insurance products. More information about Berkshire Life can be obtained at www.BerkshireLife.com.
About Hillcrest:
Hillcrest Educational Centers, headquartered in Pittsfield is one of the largest child welfare agencies in the state of Massachusetts. Hillcrest first presented the Judge John A. Barry Community Service Award in 1995 and each year since. In addition to Hillcrest Dental Care and The Housatonic Academy, Hillcrest operates three residential treatment programs, two in Lenox and one in Great Barrington that serve boys and girls from all six New England states and New York. Administrative offices are located at 788 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201. More information is available at www.hillcresteducationalcenters.org.
