PITTSFIELD, MA, November 9, 2016 – Berkshire Bank, America's Most Exciting Bank®, is excited to announce that its Foundation, in partnership with New England Sports Network (NESN), is sponsoring the Berkshire Bank Exciting Assists grant program in which it will award grants to 3 select 501©3 nonprofit organizations throughout the season.
The Exciting Assists promotion will run from October 13, 2016 to April 1, 2017 and be segmented into 3 sections, the first running from October 13– December 7, 2016, the second from December 8, 2016 – February 3, 2017 and the final from February 4, – March 31, 2017. The grants will provide $100 per assist and will be awarded based on the total number of assists that the Boston Bruins complete during their 2016 – 2017 regular-season games. For the purpose of this promotion, an assist is defined as a Boston Bruins player who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal.
The 3 nonprofits chosen to receive donations are as follows:
- Soldier On - provides programs to ensure that homeless veterans and their families have access to immediate and long-term housing with an array of support services delivered to them where they live. Promotion Period: (October 13 – December 7)
- Birthday Wishes –provides children facing homelessness with a joyous birthday party that will brighten their special day, reduce the trauma of homelessness, and give them hope for a better future. Promotion Period: (December 8 – February 3)
- Cradles to Crayons - provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive at home, at school and at play, free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have communities in need. Promotion Period: (February 4 – March 31)
"We are so pleased to support these great organizations doing such meaningful work throughout our New England footprint through this fun and interactive program. We applaud the work of all three organizations helping to ensure those who are in need have access to opportunities for future success, and we are excited to support them in partnership with NESN," stated Berkshire Bank Foundation Director, Lori Gazzillo.
About Berkshire Bank Foundation
Through foundation grants to nonprofits, scholarships to students, environmental programs, and employee volunteerism, Berkshire Bank is making a difference. Each year the Foundation donates over $1.8 million to nonprofits in the Bank's footprint and employees provide over 40,000 hours of volunteer service. Berkshire Bank was named one of Massachusetts' Most Charitable Companies by the Boston Business Journal in 2015 and 2016. To learn more about Berkshire Bank Foundation, click here.
About Berkshire Bank
Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB) is the parent of Berkshire Bank, America's Most Exciting Bank®. The Company, recognized for its entrepreneurial approach and distinctive culture, has $7.9 billion in assets and 91 full service branch offices in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont providing personal and business banking, insurance, and wealth management services. The company has a pending agreement to acquire First Choice Bank, a $1.1 billion bank with eight branches in Princeton, New Jersey area and a national mortgage originations subsidiary. To learn more, visit www.berkshirebank.com, call 800-773-5601 or follow us on: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Berkshire Bank is the official bank of NESN's Boston Bruins coverage.
About NESN
NESN has consistently been one of the top-rated regional sports networks in the country with award-winning Red Sox and Bruins coverage. The network is delivered to over 4 million homes throughout the six-state New England region and an additional 5 million homes nationally as NESN National on digital and sports tiers in over 100 DMAs. Forbes Magazine recently ranked NESN as the 10th Most Valuable Sports Business Brand in the world. NESN.com is one of the Top 15 sports Web sites in the U.S. and recently launched NESN Fuel, a Web site for automotive enthusiasts. NESN's social responsibility program, NESN Connects, is proud to support and connect its employees with charitable organizations in our communities. NESN is owned by Fenway Sports Group (owners of the Boston Red Sox) and Delaware North (owners of the Boston Bruins).