All locations will close at noon on Tuesday, June 7th
PITTSFIELD, MA, May 31, 2016 - Berkshire Bank, America’s Most Exciting Bank®, has announced that it will close all locations at noon on Tuesday, June 7th for their company-wide Xtraordinary Day, The Power of Giving Back.
Xtraordinary Day is a day of employee volunteering that has occurred in previous years, yet this year it will be on a larger scale, as it will be the first year that the Bank as a whole will participate in community service events from 1pm - 4pm. The day is set to focus on over 50 community projects, with over 1,100 employees, to make the greatest impact with this year’s effort. The previous year’s week of service marked the highest number of employee participants and the most projects undertaken during a single week in the company’s history. This year will focus less on the quantity of projects and more on higher employee participation while making a more significant contribution to each organization.
The day’s projects will benefit nonprofit organizations and communities across Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont. This year’s activities include:
Berkshire County, MA – Painting at Stearns Elementary School, Egremont Elementary School and Boys & Girls Club, Camp Russell; Downtown guide assembly at Downtown Pittsfield; Clean-up of City of Pittsfield Parks, Greenagers Housatonic River Walk and Berkshire Athenaeum; Home build with Northern Berkshire Habitat For Humanity; Tree measuring with Trustees of Reservations Bartholomew’s Cobble; 4th-6th grade literacy at Farmington River Regional School.
Pioneer Valley, MA – Clean-up of Stanley Park, YMCA of Westfield, Southwick Rail Trail, West Springfield YMCA, Amelia Park Childrens Museum, Birthday Wishes and Girls Inc. of Greenfield; House build and restore for Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity; Bike build at YMCA of Greater Springfield; Administrative duties at Children’s Study Home; Tree planting at ReGreen Springfield; Truck unloading at Community Survival Center.
Central MA – Stocking shelves at Marlborough Community Cupboard; Summer camp prep at YMCA of Central Mass.
Eastern MA – Giving Factory at Cradles to Crayons; Food Sorting and meal prep at Centre Street Food Pantry and Community Servings; Shelter cleaning and dog walking at Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts; Birthdays in a Box at Birthday Wishes.
Capital District, NY – Food sorting and land farm help at Regional Food Bank of NENY; Gardening, landscaping and clean-up of Brenna Humane Society, Northern Rivers-NE Parent & Child, Northern Rivers-Parsons Family Center, Berkshire Farm Children Center and Rebuilding Together Saratoga; Dog walking and cat grooming at Animal Protective Foundation and Columbia Greene Humane Society.
Central NY - Clerical work and cleaning at Make A Wish; Painting and clean-up at Veterans Outreach Center and Mohawk Valley Homestead; Gardening and painting at Franciscan Northside Ministries and Rome Rescue Mission; Cleaning and serving dinner at Samaritan Center.
Connecticut – Financial literacy kits at United Way; Riverfront clean-up at Riverfront ReCapture; Food sorting at Vernon Food Pantry.
Vermont – Trail Clean-up of Manchester Riverwalk; Food sorting with Rutland Food Bank; Gardening and landscaping with Bennington Museum.
During our Xtraordinary Day we will also be hosting a contest called, “Catch Us in the Act”, through which we will request the public to take a photo of our employees performing a volunteer service. The individual can then complete the official entry form on Facebook or share the photo on Instagram or Twitter using #XTEAM as the caption. Each submission will be entered to win $100 for the nonprofit of their choice; there will be two winners per region. This $100 will then be donated on behalf of the winner to the 501c3 organization of their choosing. This contest will also be open to employees, who are invited to enter a photo of their co-workers performing volunteer service for a chance to win.
Xtraordinary Day is fueled by XTEAM®, the Bank’s nationally acclaimed Employee Volunteer Program. XTEAM provides employees with paid time off to volunteer during regular business hours, allowing employees who may not have the free time to commit but the strong desire to participate the opportunity to give back to their community. XTEAM is Berkshire Bank’s way of exemplifying the power of giving back. In addition to volunteer service, Berkshire and its foundations provide over $2 million dollars annually to support nonprofit organizations in the communities that the Bank serves.
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. In 2015, Berkshire Bank was named one of Massachusetts’ Most Charitable Companies by the Boston Business Journal. This year, Berkshire Bank and NESN teamed up to raise $38,000 for Habitat for Humanity by donating funds to the Hockey 4 Housing campaign each time the Boston Bruins achieved a penalty kill. To learn more about Berkshire Bank Foundation, visit www.berkshirebank.com/community
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 $7.8 billion in assets and 93 full service branch offices in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont providing personal and business banking, insurance, and wealth management services. Berkshire Bank is the home financing and retail banking provider for the Massachusetts Teachers Association Benefits, MTA. 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.
Media Contact:
Heidi Higgins AVP Marketing hhiggins@berkshirebank.com (413) 236-3756