1000+ Employees Volunteer for Afternoon to Serve Nonprofits
September 20, 2023 | BOSTON, MA – Berkshire Bank, a leading community bank with financial centers in New England and New York, hosted Xtraordinary Day (X-Day) during the afternoon of Sept. 12. Xtraordinary Day is Berkshire’s day of service which allows employees to roll up their sleeves, give back to the community, and work with a variety of nonprofit organizations needing assistance.
For seven years, Berkshire Bank has closed the company’s financial centers and offices for one afternoon
across five states – Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island — and nationwide through their SBA lending division 44 Business Capital to harness the collective power of Berkshire Bank employees. This annual event created a positive impact and strengthened the communities that Berkshire serves.
“Forty-seven projects that included more than 4,000 hours of volunteer time were completed on X-Day 2023 to help 43 nonprofits. This is what makes this annual event extraordinary,” said Lori Gazzillo Kiely, Managing Director of the Berkshire Bank Foundation. “We’re proud to support projects dedicated to helping nonprofits improve the communities in which we live, work and play.”
X-Day 2023’s positive impact was also expressed by benefiting nonprofit organizations.
From Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut: “We were grateful to have a fabulous team of volunteers from Berkshire Bank. They closed their financial centers early and their employees spread throughout various nonprofits in the state to celebrate their ‘Xtraordinary Day of Service.’ We were excited to have groups at both ReStore locations and our office in New London, Connecticut. Various tasks were completed ranging from landscaping, power-washing, and reorganizing sections of our ReStores. Thank you so much Berkshire Bank for your service in the community and with us.”
From Housing Trust of Rutland County (HTRC) in Vermont: “A huge thank you to the Xtraordinary team from Berkshire Bank and HTRC staff today fixing the raised beds at our Watkins Avenue Apartments and bucket garden at Lincoln Place.”
From: Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park Inc.: “We would like to give a big thank you to the 38 volunteers from Berkshire Bank who joined us at the zoo today for their annual companywide Xtraordinary Day of Service! They assisted our team with everything from landscaping and litter removal to silverware polishing and storage organization. Thank you to all the volunteers who came together to make a positive impact on our zoo community.
By the numbers
- 4,000+ volunteer hours
- 1,000+ employees
- 47 projects supporting 43 nonprofits.
- Economic Inequity: 20 projects addressing economic inequity, such as packing 45,000
meals to help food scarcity and building more than 60 beds for children in need. - Environmental Impact: 20 environmental projects, including ReGreen Springfield,
shoreline cleaning and park preservation. - Community Improvement: Seven community improvement projects, including
neighborhood revitalization and three Habitat for Humanity home builds in MA, VT and RI.
In addition to X-Day, The Berkshire Bank Foundation donates more than $2 million to nonprofits throughout the bank’s footprint each year. The company also provides employees with paid time off to volunteer through its XTEAM® corporate volunteer program, completing hundreds of projects for community organizations annually. To learn more about Berkshire Bank Foundation, visit www.berkshirebank.com/community
About Berkshire Bank
Berkshire Bank, founded in 1846, is becoming a high-performing, leading, socially responsible community bank. It empowers the financial potential of its stakeholders by making banking available where, when and how it’s needed through an uncompromising focus on exceptional customer service, digital banking, and positive community impact. Providing a wide range of financial solutions through its consumer banking, commercial banking and wealth management divisions, the bank has approximately $12.1 billion in assets and a community-based footprint of 100 financial centers in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Headquartered in Boston, Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB) is the parent of Berkshire Bank. Named one of America’s Most Trusted Companies by Newsweek and America’s Best Midsize Employers by Forbes, Berkshire is also listed in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. To learn more, visit www.berkshirebank.com or follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Contact:
Alicia Jacobs, AVP, Public Relations Officer, communications@berkshirebank.com