Webster Bank Celebrates Opening of YWCA Hartford Region Finance Lab

The $100,000 grant supports finance lab tools and resources  for YWCA stakeholders

STAMFORD, Conn., April 26, 2024 – In recognition of Financial Literacy Month, Webster Bank and YWCA Hartford Region recently celebrated the opening of the Webster/YWCA Hartford Region Finance Lab in Hartford, Connecticut.The program was created to provide women and girls in YW programs such as YW Career Women and the Young Women’s Leadership Corps (YWLC) with the financial skills and literacy to plan for a future of economic security and long-term self-sufficiency. A $100,000 grant was provided by Webster to fund the programs.Webster Bank's partnership with YWCA Hartford Region underscores its commitment to corporate social responsibility and its dedication to making a positive difference in the communities it serves. Webster Bank is actively building a stronger and more resilient community by investing in programs that empower individuals and promote economic vitality.The Webster/YWCA Hartford Region Finance Lab is part of a signature initiative designed to help Webster’s partners in low- to moderate-income (LMI) communities expand financial empowerment and improve financial literacy for youth and young women.“Having an understanding of financial skills creates new opportunities for the next generation of youth and families in our community,” said Marissa Weidner, Webster’s Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer. “Our newest Finance Lab collaboration with the YWCA Hartford Region will provide the resources and tools necessary to enable young people and women to make financially sound decisions and drive economic vitality in the region.”“We thank Webster Bank for believing in and investing in YWCA Hartford Region’s programs and services with this grant to empower women and girls from the Hartford Region,” said Adrienne W. Cochrane, Chief Executive Officer, YWCA Hartford Region.  “The financial resources from this grant will lay the foundation and provide essential tools for a solid financial education. These programs will teach participants the value of money and how to save, budget, spend and invest money. They will learn and understand how to create generational wealth.”Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, State Senator Douglas McCrory, and state elected dignitaries and Commissioners Andrea Barton Reeve, CT Department of Social Services and Board Chair for YWCA Hartford Region joined Webster leaders and YWCA leadership to officially open the programming during an event held at YWCA’s office.“As Mayor of our capital city, I am proud to see this partnership between Webster Bank and YWCA Hartford Region,” said Mayor Arulampalam. “This grant will directly benefit families in our community by providing education on the core tenets of financial responsibility—debt, budgeting, saving, and investing. We thank YWCA Hartford and Webster Bank for believing in Hartford with a program like this that will uplift women, girls, and their families.”The YWCA’s Finance Lab location is one of two Webster Finance Labs in Connecticut that will open this year and the fourth to open across the bank’s footprint since the initiative's inception in 2022. Webster expects to announce plans for additional Finance Lab partnerships with nonprofit partners in Long Island, Rhode Island, and Boston, Massachusetts.