News from our members

North Central Youth Leadership Academy

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The North Central Community Action Team (NCCAT) and the Leominster Community Action Team (LCAT) is recruiting young leaders ages 16-20 to participate in the 2021 North Central Youth Leadership Academy. The group will be able to share their voice around substance use prevention, engage in programming, and create a social media marketing campaign to decrease youth substance use across the region.

 

This is a PAID opportunity at $15/ hour starting April 21st and ending June 30th. The group will meet weekly virtually on Wednesday evenings from 6-7PM. The leadership academy will include topics on the following:

  • Storytelling for Change
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Advocacy and Civic Engagement
  • Social Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Leadership
  • Community Organizing
  • Substance Use Disorder and Trends in Youth Substance Use
  • Project Planning
  • Finding Your Creative Voice
  • and More!!

 

Application

MassHire North Central Career Center Workforce Training Fund Webinar

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On May 7th, 2021 the MassHire North Central Career Center and Commonwealth Corporation will present a Workforce Training Fund informational workshop geared to your business training needs.  The Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund is a program that provides matching dollars to eligible businesses who are investing in their staff through training and/or retraining.

The info session will provide an overview of the features and benefits of each Workforce Training Fund grant program, including the amount of available funding, program guidelines, and how to apply for each grant. You will have direct access to Commonwealth Corporation staff to ask any questions you might have about each program.  The workshop will be presented virtually via Zoom.

To reserve a seat please use this Event Bright link  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/workforce-training-fund-online-info-session-may-7th-10am-tickets-148231838419

Or, for more information contact Scott Percifull at spercifull@ccncm.com

Ladybugz Interactive Agency hires new Director of Customer Success

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Billie Kenyon, Director of Customer Success

We are so excited to announce the addition of Billie Kenyon to our team as our Director of Customer Success! Billie will onboard our new clients and make sure their experience with our agency is nothing but Stellar! She will work with the team to build relationships and find clients that are that are the right fit for our little agency. She will work with the team to present the best solutions for our clients needs.

Billie has been working in sales for over 10 years focusing on customer relationships and making sure the customers needs are always put first. Billie knows how to help each customer determine what is best for their own business and uniquely tailor a plan to achieve their goals. Never afraid of a challenge, Billie thrives on helping companies take their big bold ideas and turn them into action and reality.

Billie is dedicated to our region of Central Massachusetts and plans to help find clients here who can benefit from our services. Soon you will see her at chamber events representing our little agency!

Beyond Dreamland event with Sam Quinones

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Join a virtual presentation with Sam Quinones, award-winning author of “Dreamland,” at 1 p.m. on April 15. Sam will discuss the state of the opioid epidemic, including emerging trends in the illicit drug market, the lawsuits against the pharmaceutical companies and the stigma that still persists around the disease of addiction. Sam previously spoke in Worcester in 2017 and demonstrated his depth of knowledge and keen insights into the drug problem that claimed the lives of more than 80,000 Americans last year. This is a unique opportunity for all of us to gain more insight on how to address the opioid epidemic.

Please pre-register using the link or meeting information below in the flyer.

Fidelity Bank Donated Nearly $450,000 in 2020 through its LifeDesign Community Dividend

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LEOMINSTER, Mass – In an extraordinary year of challenge due to the pandemic, Fidelity Bank donated nearly $450,000 to more than 200 worthy organizations, events, and causes in several Central and Eastern Massachusetts communities in 2020 through its LifeDesign Community Dividend, which is money the bank sets aside for this purpose each year.

The pandemic was a major focus of 2020 donations, with Fidelity Bank donating more than $100,000 to help various organizations support basic needs early in the pandemic through its Caring for Our Communities COVID-19 Response Grants and more than $50,000 in additional holiday support given to more than a dozen Massachusetts food pantries to help people affected by the pandemic.

“Local nonprofits, organizations and small businesses have done heroic work helping our communities get through this difficult time,” says Fidelity Bank Chairman & CEO Edward F. Manzi, Jr. “The LifeDesign Community Dividend allowed us to show our care and compassion for those in need during the pandemic.”

Other organizations receiving contributions in 2020 included The SHINE Initiative, which Fidelity Bank founded in 2004 with input from its employees to combat discrimination and destigmatize mental health conditions in children and young adults, as well as Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Needham Community Council, Quinsigamond Community College Foundation, City of Leominster Fund, March of Dimes, Heywood Healthcare, YWCA of Central Massachusetts, Hanover Theatre, and several causes promoted through Fidelity Bank’s weekly Caring Casual Fridays.

Fidelity Bank has given out approximately 2.5 million dollars since the program was renamed in 2013.

About Fidelity Bank:

Founded in 1888, Fidelity Bank is one of the strongest independent community banks in Central and Eastern Massachusetts. Fidelity Bank’s unique LifeDesign approach to banking provides the care and clarity needed to make informed decisions with confidence. The Bank offers a range of personal and business banking solutions to clients in 14 full-service banking centers in Leominster, Worcester, Fitchburg, Needham, Gardner, Stow, Shirley, Barre, Millbury, Paxton, Princeton, and Winchendon. The Bank has consistently earned a “5 Star” rating from BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation’s leading independent bank rating and research firm. In 2020 Fidelity Bank was voted Worcester Telegram & Gazette Best Financial Services in Central Massachusetts and was named to the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work list for the sixth time. As of December 31, 2020, the bank had total assets of approximately $1.1 billion. For more information, visit www.fidelitybankonline.com or www.facebook.com/fidelitybankma

Leominster Credit Union Partners with Fitchburg High School for Financial Literacy

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Leominster, MA – Leominster Credit Union (LCU) has partnered with Fitchburg High School to supplement their math classes with a Financial Literacy section regarding personal finance. The personal finance course includes units on checking, savings, managing credit, types of credit, saving for college, budgeting and much more! The classes run for 40 minutes and are taught rotating both in-person and virtually, engaging with over 100 students. The classes are taught by LCU employees Brittany Haley, Waldemar Agostini and Daisy Casiano in conjunction with Katie Najjar.

“At LCU we hope to continue to foster this new relationship with Fitchburg High School, faculty and students and in the future hope to expand this curriculum to additional schools within our community. We want to provide financial education to students and families to improve their skills, boost their confidence and help them achieve success,” said Katie Najjar, SVP Retail, Leominster Credit Union.

“Introducing financial literacy has been a welcomed opportunity for Fitchburg High School students. Students need to be versed in the core curriculum and practical everyday life skills such as being financially literate. Learning about budgeting, money, and finances can impact student futures and quality of life. We are happy to work with LCU in offering these options for our students,” stated Josie D’Elia, Fitchburg High School, Guidance Counselor.

Fitchburg Public Library presents Virtual Puppet Story Time

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Join us for a virtual Puppet Storytime on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at 10:00 AM!  Through Me to You Puppetry invites you to join Newton and his puppet friends for some storytime fun!  Newton and his friends take turns reading stories and singing songs with the kids.  At the end of the show, the kids are invited to “unmute” and say hi to Newton.  This program is geared to ages 3 to 6, but all are welcome.  Register to receive the Zoom link!  

Register at https://tinyurl.com/jr6c66h3 to be sent the Zoom link.

This is a free program. For information about this or other Library programs call 978-829-1780 or visit our website: www.FitchburgPublicLibrary.org.

Leominster Credit Union Announces Promotions

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Leominster, MA –Leominster Credit Union has recently announced the promotions of Ellen Coughlin and Mychelle Phillips.

Ellen Coughlin was promoted to the position of Vice President, Human Resources and Development. For the last 5 years, Ellen was the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources but has been with the organization for 17 years.  She will be responsible for all the Human Resources functions, development and training and will become a member of the Senior Management Team reporting to Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO.  Coughlin received a BA from Worcester State College in Spanish and a minor in Health Sciences. She went on to receive her master’s degree from Emmanuel College, with a concentration in Human Resources.  She has also received her PHR, Professional Human Resources designation from the HR Certification Institute and her SHRM-CP.  Coughlin resides in Sterling with her husband and daughter.

Mychelle Phillips was promoted to Vice President, Operations and Information Technology (IT). Phillips has been with LCU for 17 years and Vice President of Operations for the last 6 years. Her new duties will include being responsible for the Digital and Member Service Center, Operations and our IT division. Phillips will become a member of the Senior Management Team and report to Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO. Mychelle has a bachelor’s degree from New England College of Business and holds an Accredited Automated Clearing House Professional (AAP) certification awarded by National ACH Association to individuals who are experts in electronic payments. Phillips resides in Leicester with her husband.

“These promotions are the result of the exceptional performance of these individuals within their respective departments,” commented Barbara Mahoney, President & CEO.  “Ellen and Mychelle display exemplary behavior, discipline and leadership and we are pleased to have them as part of our Senior Management Team.”

Fidelity Bank Gives Awards to Employees Who Exemplify the Bank’s Values of Doing Right by Clients, Colleagues and Communities

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Leominster, MASS – Several Fidelity Bank employees were virtually honored by Fidelity Bank at the bank’s annual All Hearts Meeting March 9 for their unique contributions during an unusual year. Three of the honorees are from Leominster – Damian Scott, Jessie Maldonado, and Emily Daugherty. “It is a pleasure to recognize our caring colleagues for the work they do,” says Ed Manzi Jr., Fidelity Bank Chairman and CEO. “I am inspired by how our honorees continue to rise to the challenges presented by the pandemic.” The annual awards recognize Fidelity Bank role models who exemplify the bank’s caring culture and LifeDesign approach of providing the clarity needed to help clients make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.  

Mission Accomplished awards were given to Linda Carmichael and Becky Beaton. These most prestigious awards single out two outstanding individuals, one for work done helping Fidelity Bank clients and the other for work that supports their Fidelity Bank colleagues. Both individuals have shown an impressive commitment to Fidelity Bank and have made a significant contribution to the bank being able to thrive during these difficult times.

Fidelity Bank Vice President of Operations Linda Carmichael of Fitchburg was given the Mission Accomplished award representing the support departments of the bank. Carmichael led our Operations team through the complexities and challenges of our merger with Family Federal Savings, a significant Cash Management project, and was instrumental in leading our critical deposit operations department through 2020 – keeping the team fully operational while managing the guidelines and remote work situations brought on by the pandemic. In addition, she stepped in to help lead another department in the bank through a leadership transition. With limited expertise in this area, she proactively jumped in providing support to this team in addition to her own. “Linda is a well-respected team player who is truly fearless in her approach and never complains,” says Manzi.

Fidelity Bank Vice President and Small Business Relationship Manager Becky Beaton of Rindge NH   received the bank’s client-facing Mission Accomplished award in recognition of her stand out work with the Commercial Lending and Community Banking team in their successful implementation of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) that provided critically needed help to hundreds of small businesses. “Becky has been such a treasure for our clients and the bank this year,” says Manzi. Beaton provided 24/7 support for the hundreds of clients urgently seeking these loans from April through July, while also providing guidance to the CARES Team and support to the Commercial Lending and Credit Admin teams receiving and processing the applications.  In addition to caring for her clients and colleagues throughout the process, Beaton also worked hard to continuously improve the process in an unwavering pursuit of excellence, serves as an important liaison with the bank managers, and generates small business loans.

Role Model awards were given to employees who personify Fidelity Bank’s five guiding values of treating everyone with care and respect, exhibiting honesty and integrity, pursuing excellence, being committed to continuous learning and improvement, and maintaining a positive and fun work environment.

The entire IT team received the bank’s Role Model award for personifying the bank’s guiding value of Treating Everyone with Care and Respect. They are Systems Administrator Damian Scott of Leominster, Systems Engineer Marcin Wiadrowski of Holden, Systems Analyst Tracey Collins of New Ipswich, NH, and Systems Administrator Helen Bleckley of Clinton. The team worked tirelessly and with great dedication and intelligence to meet the challenge of Fidelity Bank having to deploy people to work remotely to preserve their health, while caring for its clients. They deployed new technologies and acquired equipment so the bank could implement a new workplace model without missing a beat. None of the staff at Fidelity Bank could have been heroes without the IT team and their immense care.

Jessie Maldonado of Leominster was honored for exemplifying the bank’s guiding principal of pursuing Continuous Learning and Improvement.  Maldonado is Assistant Branch Manager for the Leominster Main Street banking center of Fidelity Bank. This year Maldonado demonstrated initiative and passion to help her colleagues and her banking center be the best it could be.  She demonstrates consistent willingness to increase her own knowledge and impressed the importance of this on others.

Emily Daugherty of Leominster was recognized for Maintaining a Positive and Fun Work Environment. Daugherty is Fidelity Bank’s Marketing Coordinator and was recognized for her consistent contributions to every celebration, recognition event, and client campaign. She produces creative materials, handles social media, and was a huge part of ensuring that the pandemic didn’t take the fun or positivity out of events that had to go virtual such as retirement celebrations and graduations. Daugherty perseveres with positivity. Her colleagues never hear a negative word from her. Her efforts have made sure that the Fidelity Bank workplace remained positive and fun despite the challenges of 2020.

Helen Bleckley of Clinton was honored for Pursuing Excellence. Bleckley is a Systems Administrator who used her technical ingenuity to provide excellent service to her colleagues just so they could do their day-to-day work. Additionally, this individual teamed up with the HEART Club with an innovative approach to help with the technical details of the bank’s first Heart and Sole challenge. While wearing a smile Bleckley has put her excellence on display last year.

Janette Fontaine of Baldwinville was recognized for Exhibiting Honesty and Integrity. Fontaine is a Client Care Representative whose diligence and commitment to Fidelity Bank clients is evident and has been recognized many times. She has walked some clients through situations to help them avoid scammers, helped others avoid peril and did so with an immense amount of care. One client said she even “saved the day.”

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About Fidelity Bank:

Founded in 1888, Fidelity Bank is one of the strongest independent community banks in Central and Eastern Massachusetts. Fidelity Bank’s unique LifeDesign approach to banking provides the care and clarity needed to make informed decisions with confidence. The Bank offers a range of personal and business banking solutions to clients in 14 full-service banking centers in Leominster, Worcester, Fitchburg, Needham, Gardner, Stow, Shirley, Barre, Millbury, Paxton, Princeton, and Winchendon. The Bank has consistently earned a “5 Star” rating from BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation’s leading independent bank rating and research firm. In 2020 Fidelity Bank was voted Worcester Telegram & Gazette Best Financial Services in Central Massachusetts and was named to the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work list for the sixth time. As of September 30, 2020, the bank had total assets of approximately $1.15 billion. For more information, visit www.fidelitybankonline.com or www.facebook.com/fidelitybankma