News
February 15, 2019Berkshire Bank Announces Second Exciting Assists Grant Recipient-$14,300 Grant Benefits Bottom Line
Berkshire Bank is excited to announce that the Berkshire Bank Foundation, in partnership with New England Sports Network (NESN), has awarded a $14,300 grant to Bottom Line through the Berkshire Bank Exciting Assists Grant Program. Justin Strasburger, Executive Director at Bottom Line accepted the contribution from Berkshire Bank Foundation’s Senior Vice President and Director Lori Kiely during NESN’s coverage of the Boston Bruins on February 5th.
The Exciting Assists Grant program runs through March 30, 2019, with the proceeds donated to support the Mass Mentoring Partnership, Bottom Line, and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. During a designated period, these worthy organizations will receive $100 from the Berkshire Bank Foundation for every Boston Bruins assist. An assist is defined as a Boston Bruins player who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled a goal, meaning that they were “assisting” in the goal. During the second portion of the season the Bruins had 143 assists resulting in a $14,300 grant from the Berkshire Bank Foundation.
Bottom Line – founded in 1997 on the belief that students need a mentor and a guide during the college application process and throughout college to succeed – addresses the low college graduation rates of low-income and first-generation students. By providing consistent one-on-one support, Bottom Line has helped thousands of students stay in college and complete their degrees.
In addition to Bottom Line, the two other non-profit organizations participating in this year’s program include:
- Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership – Based in Boston, Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP) is fueling the movement to expand empowering youth-adult relationships across Massachusetts. MMP serves more than 250 mentoring and youth development programs statewide, supporting more than 33,000 youth in mentoring relationships. They assess programmatic needs and organizational capacity, as well as provide customized strategies that empower youth, families and communities. Promotion Period: (October 3 – December 1)
- Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless “A Bed For Every Child”– The mission of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless is to eradicate homelessness from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It aims to meet this mission through advocacy, technical assistance, education and programming including their “A Bed For Every Child” initiative. Promotion Period:(February 4 – March 30)
This is the third consecutive year that Berkshire Bank and NESN have teamed up to offer the Exciting Assists Grants Program. Last year more than $50,000 was raised and shared between The Jimmy Fund, Boston Cares and Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
