Fidelity Bank announced its 2023 LifeDesign Community Dividend completed the year with a record of nearly $500,000 donated to more than 250 organizations, events, and charitable endeavors throughout the communities the bank serves in Central and Eastern Massachusetts.
The LifeDesign Community Dividend provides funding to support local nonprofit organizations that directly impact and benefit the communities in Fidelity Bank service areas. Eligible programs include those that support inclusion and diversity, culture and arts, elder services, and youth programming, among others.
“These community investments are at the core of Fidelity’s LifeDesign banking brand promise,” said Ed Manzi Jr., chairman and CEO, Fidelity Bank. “Focusing on care, clarity and confidence, our Community Dividend supports the communities that support us, while also providing funding to ensure organizations continue providing important services needed to help our communities thrive.”
Organizations receiving contributions in 2023 included the Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg, Leominster & Gardner, City of Gardner’s 100th Anniversary, Ginny’s Helping Hand and Food Pantry, Girls Inc. of Worcester, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center, Needham Education Foundation, Shine Initiative, and the Spanish American Community Center, to name a few.
“The funds we received were immensely helpful, particularly as we embarked on a collaboration with the Needham Public Schools to bring transformative change to the district through equity-centered professional learning for their educators and administrators, in addition to the grants we fund for innovative educational programs in the schools,” said Sarah Winig, administrative director, Needham Education Foundation.
In addition to the many deserving organizations who received support through the Bank’s LifeDesign Community Dividend, more than 18,000 area residents received sweet treats from Fidelity’s Frosty Flyer ice cream truck last summer at over 100 local community and non-profit events, and banking center locations. Fidelity Bank colleagues also got involved with outreach in their communities by participating in more than 150 Random Acts of Care, including delivering meals to first responders in the days following the Leominster floods, donating supplies to animal shelters, purchasing backpacks and supplies for local youth, and donating winter hats and mittens to organizations serving the homeless.
“We love the communities we serve,” added Manzi. “It is truly a privilege to support community initiatives that help others, particularly in the areas where Fidelity Team Members live and work. It is a total team effort, done with true intention and gratitude.”
Since the program was renamed in 2013, the Fidelity LifeDesign Community Dividend has committed approximately $3.6 million to organizations in Central and Eastern Massachusetts.
Calling all Worcester Railers fans! The Worcester Railers Military Appreciation game is on Saturday, March 30th and we are looking for partners to help us honor our veterans and their families. Sponsor a ticket for a deserving military member with our three tiers of sponsorship available. Let’s show our support together!
The City of Fitchburg and the Airport Commission are seeking responses to this Request for Expressions of Interest (“RFEI”) from parties interested in long-term leasing with commercial development.
The City is inviting participation from potential non-aviation businesses and enterprises that could be developed at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport. The purpose of this process is to determine the level of private interest and potential opportunities to benefit the city, the airport community and/or the business community.
Responses to this invitation will be reviewed and evaluated using the process described in this packet. By participating in this initial step of the process, developers will be able to participate in subsequent steps with the ultimate goal being the negotiation of associated leases and development.
The Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund Committee met on February 13, 2024 and March 7, 2024, to distribute this year’s round of grants to applicants from the Gardner Public School System. The committee was able to distribute $82,831.60 for 14 different projects which will take place over the remainder of the academic year and beyond.
Gardner’s Superintendent of Public Schools, Dr. Mark Pellegrino remarked, “The Williams-Rockwell grants continue to generously give to Gardner Public Schools. These funds allow us to offer very creative programs that enhance the experience of our students beyond the core and essential expectations of our community. From service dogs to laser cutters, this program supports our students social emotional needs and academic growth. Thank you to everyone on the committee for supporting our students!”
The Williams-Rockwell Education Gift Fund was established in 2014 following the auction of Norman Rockwell’s “Willie Gillis in the Convoy” painting. The fund was set up to provide financial assistance to projects and programs requested by the faculty and administration of Gardner Public Schools to enrich the experiences of Gardner’s students. The grants are funded by the interest and capital gains earned from investments of the sale price of the painting.
From the auction to the disbursement of the grants, the Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund has been a collective effort in bringing about a way to give back to the city and its students for years to come. To date, the Committee has awarded $610,064.00.
“I am very happy to hear that we are able to continue to give back to our students through this program,” said Mayor Michael Nicholson who serves as the Chair of the fund’s Trustees. “The projects submitted for this year’s round of funding were certainly unique and help provide valuable resources to help enrich our students’ academic careers. This fund truly makes a big difference in helping Gardner Public Schools provide our students with a modern academic experience that stands out from other districts. I’m looking forward to seeing our students take advantage of these programs in the future.”
Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas added, “The Williams-Rockwell resource enriches the quality of our education in Gardner, and we are incredibly lucky to have it. These grants continue to serve their purpose providing valuable opportunities for our students each year. Such options would likely not be possible otherwise, or their funding would draw from the city’s budget.”
As required by the fund’s governing statute, awards were given out to both arts related applications as well as applications that promote athletics and academics in our schools.
“The funds received by GMS from the Rockwell Grant will be used to help subsidize our 6th grade trip to Nature’s Classroom,” explained Annette Lussier, Gardner Middle School Science Teacher. “Students look forward to this trip every year! This amazing educational experience provides our students with an opportunity to think and learn about the natural world around us and more importantly our place in nature and how we, humans, are uniquely responsible for the stewardship of our planet. GMS would like to thank the Rockwell Grant committee for this award and their continued support for this unique and powerful educational experience.”
“20 years ago when I started teaching at the middle school, I used the spotlights that were shared with the high school to light a lot of each production due to a lack of an auditorium at GMS,” said Joanne Landry, Gardner High School Music and Drama teacher. “It was clear to me even then that the spotlights were not very effective and had two very different illumination capacities. One is very dim with fuzzy edges while the other is brighter but with no filter capabilities any more. They are also very bulky and heavy and difficult to transport from one school to the other. I am thrilled that after 20 years, we will finally be able to acquire new spotlights for the theater program. All the drama students from both the high school and middle school will be able to benefit from better lighting. The units are portable, quieter when in use, and use LED lighting so they will be less expensive to maintain. These should be easier to operate as well and we can have students on stage crew run the spots for the shows. I am excited to have the new spotlights shine brightly on our hard working performers.”
“We are so excited to receive this grant for the Great East Festival for the 4th Grade Band,” said Michelle Heffner, Gardner Elementary School Band Director. “Great East provides a competitive opportunity for our young musicians in a supportive environment. Students will perform in front of a panel of judges and then receive a clinic where the judges will work with our 4th Grade band students to help them improve their playing, listening and ensemble skills. It is exciting to provide our youngest band students with this opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a real-life competitive setting and provide them with their first experience with adjudication! The students are eager to begin learning their music and are excited to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in front of a panel of well-respected music educators. Thank you to the committee for providing our 4th Grade Band with this opportunity!”
“We ordered these boards a few years ago and they were so successful in their ease of setting up artworks that we wanted to obtain more,” said Frances LeMieux, Gardner High School Art Teacher. “This has allowed us to be able to rotate where our All School Art Exhibitions are held, in an effort to connect with all facets of the community. The venue change allows for greater community access, allowing the public to see all of our schools, but also gives the host school an opportunity to display a higher amount of its students’ work. The color of the boards are varied, which will show off our art pieces better. The grey backing will help to specifically show off works that have a darker composition, that we have noticed get lost while viewing on our current black backings.
By law, the membership on the Board of Trustees who votes to award the grants is made up of three members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council, the City Treasurer, the Superintendent of Schools, a member of the School Committee, the City Council President or their designee, and the Mayor or his designee who serves as chair.
A full listing of the grants awarded can be found here:
The Town’s zoning for economic development is limited and outdated. Please attend one or both of these forums and tell us what you want for new economic development in Sterling. At these forums, the following topics will be discussed:
The importance of economic development.
The tax benefits of economic development.
The impact of economic development on your tax bills.
What the Town allows for economic development and what other towns allow.
Is the Town’s Performance Zone right for economic development?
What do you want to see for new economic development?
All this and more will be discussed at the public forum.
Public Forums on Economic Development
Wednesday March 6, 2024 at 6:30 PM
1835 Town Hall (31 Main Street)
If you can’t attend the Wednesday night forum, the program will be repeated on Saturday March 9, 2024 at 9:30 AM
Please attend and give us your input!
Thank you – the Sterling Planning Board & Economic Development Committee
In the Photo: bankHometown’s Grove St., Worcester office Vice President, Branch Officer Isabelo Cruz Lopez (left) and Assistant Branch Manager Allysha Desrosiers (right) present a check for $5,275 to Trish Appert, executive director of Friendly House, one of 16 food pantries receiving donations from the bank’s Neighbors Helping Neighbors fundraising campaign to help address food insecurity.
Robert J. Morton, president and CEO of bankHometown, announced that the bank’s 20th annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors fundraising drive raised $84,400 for local food pantries. This brings the total amount raised since the program’s inception to $415,400.
The annual appeal is part of bankHometown’s charitable giving program, The Giving Tree, which reflects the bank’s commitment to making a difference in the neighborhoods it serves. Throughout November, the bank invited customers, employees, and members of the community to donate at bankHometown branches. Up to $2,500 per donation was matched, dollar for dollar, by bankHometown and the total divided among food pantries in Massachusetts and Connecticut communities the bank serves.
Each of these pantries received $5,275:
Massachusetts Food Pantries:
Athol Salvation Army Food Pantry
Auburn Youth and Family Services Food Pantry
CARE Food Pantry, Clinton
Food Share, Southbridge, Charlton & Sturbridge
Friendly House Pantry, Worcester
Ginny’s Helping Hand, Inc., Leominster
Millbury Senior Center Food Pantry
Oxford Ecumenical Food Shelf
Sutton Senior Center Michael A. Chizy Food Pantry
St. John’s Food for the Poor, Worcester
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, Webster
Connecticut Food Pantries:
Community Kitchens of Northeastern CT, Killingly
Daily Bread, Putnam
Friends of Assisi, Killingly
Project PIN Food Pantry, Moosup
Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group
“On behalf of bankHometown, I’d like to thank all those who generously donated to our Neighbors Helping Neighbors fundraiser to help fight food insecurity in our communities,” said Morton. “We’re pleased to host this annual appeal and that so much was raised to help families in need this holiday season.”
Ceremony Marks Importance of Air Ambulance Service in Fitchburg, Worcester County
Air Methods’ Life Flight 2 air ambulance program partnered with the City of Fitchburg to host a groundbreaking event at Fitchburg Municipal Airport to ceremoniously recognize the importance of fast, reliable air medical services in the community.
Earlier this year, Air Methods partnered with the City of Fitchburg to ensure critical health care access to Worcester County and beyond. Life Flight 2 is a community-based program providing lifesaving services 24/7/365, responding to emergency medical and trauma events including heart attacks, strokes, pediatric emergencies, burns, and other critical incidents—essentially serving as a flying emergency room and intensive care unit. Additionally, the team provides interfacility transport services when patients need to move between hospitals for specialized care.
“Throughout the state, we’ve seen an increased need for air medical service over the past year,” said Air Methods Regional Director Aidan O’Connor Jr. “We are grateful to be able to serve the communities of Leominster, Lunenburg, and the great City of Fitchburg and develop this partnership with the city and their beautiful airport. Partnerships like these ensure we are meeting the needs of the communities in northern Worcester County and southern New Hampshire and Vermont.”
Life Flight 2 not only has provided life-saving services since opening this spring, but they have also supported the community in many events and activities, such as the police cadets summer program, training with local EMS/Fire partners, and assisting requestors whenever called upon.
“Since opening, Life Flight 2’s services have been invaluable for our residents,” said City of Fitchburg Mayor Stephan DiNatale. “It’s reassuring to know that when there is an emergency, we now have a complete ecosystem of emergency medical care for our community.”
Equipped with industry-leading equipment and medical devices on every flight, the Life Flight 2 team carries whole blood to positively increase patient outcomes through collaborative pre-hospital care.
The Life Flight 2 team — a crew consisting of a pilot, critical care nurse, and critical care paramedic, and maintainers — all receiving annual state-of-the-art specialty training. Pilots are trained using Level D Full Flight Simulators, the highest fidelity flight simulator approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, representing the most sophisticated and accurate simulators used by most commercial airlines. Clinicians receive hands-on training through Air Methods Ascend, an in-person and online training program that allows clinicians to perform at the top of their licensure. Ascend is also available to medical personnel across the country.
Life Flight 2 is based at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport, ensuring response times are rapid when dispatched. To mark the importance of air medical service, the program worked with the city and the airport to receive approvals to construct an aircraft hangar and living quarters for the flight crew. The anticipated completion of construction is January 2024.
MOC is dedicated to supporting low-income families through their Fuel Assistance program. Regrettably, benefits for many vulnerable residents have been significantly reduced from last year. The Emergency Fuel Fund has been a lifeline for many, especially families with children and the elderly. To ensure no one is left in the cold, MOC is asking the community businesses for support. Your generous donation will supplement the limited funds available and make a tangible difference in the lives of those they serve. Your support warms homes and hearts.
Every contribution can make a profound impact:
A donation of $250 can provide heating for an elderly neighbor’s home for a month.
A donation of $1,000 ensures multiple families don’t have to choose between warmth and food for a month.
A gift of $2,500+ will provide multiple families with warmth throughout the winter season.
The Dream It, Create It Grant Program is back, and it’s bringing dreams to life in Fitchburg! With a fresh wave of inspiration and creativity, this grant program is set to turn innovative ideas into reality.
The Dream It, Create It Grant Program is all about advancing Fitchburg as one of the most culturally unique and creative cities in America. In its second year, this grant program is poised to support projects that will directly involve and impact residents, visitors, and businesses in Fitchburg’s vibrant neighborhoods.
Year One Awardees: A Glimpse of the Possibilities
Year one of the Dream It, Create It Grant Program showcased the incredible diversity and potential of Fitchburg’s creative community. From Juneteenth celebrations to outdoor art displays, this grant program is a testament to the city’s boundless creativity. Here’s a glimpse of year one awardees and their innovative projects:
Fitchburg Cultural Alliance: Fitchburg Open Studios
Get Righttt Fitness: Get Righttt Fitness Field Day!
The Alignment Auntie LLC: FAM Late Night
MOC Making Opportunities Count: Gateway Rock Garden
Justin Tarbell: STREET ART POP UP
North County Land Trust: Quarry Lane Pocket Park
Centro Celeste: Centro Celeste Uruguayan Independence
Fitchburg Greenway Committee – Nashua River Watershed:Upper Common Fitchburg Poem Installation
Salem Pezzolesi: Dirty Kid Apocalypse
Shara Osgood: Lowe Park Chalk Art Festival
Luxurious Gina Studios: 1st Annual Artist Appreciation Runway Show
Thurston Consort: Thurston Consort Duo Ensemble Program
First Parish Church/Phillips Hall: Phillips Hall Restoration
The Yoga Co-Operative: Fitchburg Wellness Initiative: Yoga benefits every body
Artifakt Studios: Awoken Eye Mural Installation
Ryan Hart: Iconics: A queer dance party
Young Coff33 Productions: Live From Downtown Fitchburg
Grizz Gang Forever: Forever Working Workshop
This diverse array of projects demonstrates the incredible talent and innovation that Fitchburg has to offer.
Dream It, Create It – Round Two: Get Ready to Dream Big!
Round two of the Dream It, Create It Grant Program promises even more excitement and creativity. With a total of $60,000 available to invest in 3-4 projects, the possibilities are endless. Individuals, nonprofits, community groups, and for-profits are all eligible to apply.
The application period opens on November 1, 2023, and closes on December 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Visit the website here (https://dreamitcreateit.carrd.co/#) and make sure to mark your calendar for the informational webinar on November 15, 2023, and take advantage of the weekly office hours throughout November.
Ginny’s Helping Hand, Inc., a food pantry and thrift shop, today welcomed The Paper Store employees to the non-profit’s Mechanic Street location to recognize a recent fundraiser supporting the non-profit’s mission to help those in the community survive and thrive.
The fundraiser, which was held in July, offered the opportunity for community members to purchase VIP Early Access tickets to The Paper Store’s Warehouse Sale, with 100 percent of the early access tickets donated to Ginny’s Helping Hand. The sold-out event welcomed more than 250 people and raised more than $6,000 for Ginny’s Helping Hand. In addition to the financial donation, the organization also received $375 in donations from shoppers and non-perishable items. Additionally, six pallets worth of clothing donations were provided from The Paper Store following the sale to Ginny’s Thrift Store.
In the week following the historic floods in the City of Leominster, The Paper Store again reached out to Ginny’s Helping Hand to offer support. This time, the store donated a portion of its Leominster’s location proceeds in the week following the flood to Ginny’s Helping Hand, resulting in approximately $3,000 toward the organization’s flood relief efforts.
“We would like to thank The Paper Store for partnering with us and for their unwavering commitment to helping us provide much needed emergency resources for those in our community who need it most,” said Brandon L. Robbins, executive director, Ginny’s Helping Hand. “This support will go a long way in helping the more than 2,000 clients we serve each month.”
The Paper Store, which is located at Water Tower Plaza in Leominster, is a family-owned, specialty gift business offering an array of exclusive curated gifts, fashion, jewelry, home décor, kids’ toys, stationery and more.
“The Paper Store was thrilled to partner with local Leominster charity Ginny’s Helping Hand as the beneficiary of our first annual Warehouse Sale. We are proud over $9,000 is going back into the community to help families struggling with food insecurity and with the additional funds for those who were affected by the floods,” said Tom Anderson, president and CEO, The Paper Store.
