Community weighs in on Monson Savings Bank's charitable giving plan
Date: 2/20/2012
February 20, 2012MONSON — For the second year in a row, Monson Savings Bank asked the community to help plan the bank's community giving activities by inviting people to vote for the organizations they would like the bank to support during 2012.
Hundreds of people weighed in and voted for more than 65 different organizations doing community service work in Monson, Hampden or Wilbraham. Letters have been mailed to the top vote getters to let them know of the community support and of the bank's contribution to each organization this year.
According to Steven Lowell, president of Monson Savings Bank, "Charitable giving is absolutely part of the fabric of this bank. In 2011 we made over $134,000 in contributions to local and regional causes, which were in part guided by the input we received through this process last year. We feel it is important to engage our communities like this and are pleased that so many people responded to our request for input."
The top vote getters are: Greene Room Productions, Link to Libraries, Monson Bellman Antique Fire Apparatus Club/Museum, Opacum Land Trust, Monson Tornado Volunteers, Quaboag Highlanders Pipes and Drums, Trees Bring Hope, Monson Free Library, Wilbraham Soccer Club, and Replanting Monson Tree Committee.
Four of the 10 organizations were new to the Top Ten list this year.
"The fact that the list changes somewhat from year to year demonstrates the value of our reaching out to ask people for their input," Lowell said. "Three of the organizations on the list are as a result of last year's tornado. We were extremely active in the tornado relief efforts with donations, volunteer hours and collaborating with other relief efforts, but with this input we will do more. We are very pleased to be part of a community that is so committed to helping people, to volunteerism and to great causes."
