Greylock Donates to Community Partners in 2021

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Federal Credit Union has released its 2021 Community Impact Report
 
The report highlights many relationships held throughout the region to show members how their credit union invests in the community.
 
"This is more than just a report to sit on a shelf," said Greylock Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer JamieEllen Moncecchi. "It is a story of the dedication and hard work put forward by our staff, Board of Directors and Members throughout the year to support our shared vision of a thriving community."
 
The stories reflect the Credit Union's commitment to the guiding principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility through company-wide learning and reflection, policy development, new products and services, and partnerships.
 
Greylock made cash donations of over $778,000 to area non-profit partners in 2021. The list of partners ranges from local Lions Clubs and after-school programs to the Berkshire Family YMCA and the United Ways of Berkshire County.
 
Greylock's continued COVID-19 response is also summarized in the document. Data shows that in the second year of the pandemic, Greylock supported 3,414 area jobs with Paycheck Protection Program loans, provided millions of dollars in loan deferrals for Members facing hardship and issued over $51 million to first-time home buyers to build for their future.
 
The Community Empowerment Center, which opened in 2018, grew to a dedicated five-person team with a branch-wide volunteer network of 29 certified financial coaches to meet the increasing need for services. The Center hosted 82 free seminars on everything from couponing to preparing for retirement. They also educated 2,805 area students on financial literacy, conducted 873 free financial coaching sessions and helped 204 immigrants enter the US banking system.
 
As a Certified Community Development Financial Institution, Greylock can be awarded federal funds to support the local economy. In 2021, Greylock was issued access to up to $23 million in emergency capital investment funding from the US Treasury (to be used over 30 years), $1.8 million in Rapid Response funds to help stabilize local households and businesses affected by the pandemic, and a $500,000 award to tackle issues of local poverty and economic mobility.
 

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Lt. Gov. Touts Rural Grant Awards in Cummington

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Cummington welcomes Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao for an announcement on state grants for rural communities.

CUMMINGTON, Mass. — A state grant has boosted the Berkshire Trail Building revitalization by $400,000, a project that has been in the works for over six years.

"Make sure to get a look at it on your way out," Selectman Brian Gilman told a crowd at the Community House. "The next time you pass this way, you might not recognize it because of all the new life that is breathed into it."

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll traveled to Cummington on Friday to celebrate $10 million in Community One Stop for Growth funding for rural communities. Last year, the town was awarded $400,000 to transform the former Berkshire Trail Elementary School into governmental offices, a food incubator, a business rental space, and an early childhood education facility.

Driscoll said the administration wants to build a commonwealth that is more affordable, equitable, and competitive "but that equity piece also includes geographic equity." The Rural Development Fund, administered by the Executive Office of Economic Development, provides grants for community projects in rural and small towns.

"We wanted to make sure that we had a better handle on how tiny towns and rural communities could receive a little bit more of the funding," Driscoll explained.

"Because the formula was a little tilted towards higher populations and so many of our tiny towns and rural places have lots of geography and lots of roads but not a lot of people so the formula didn't work in their favor."

The 22,000-square-foot school, located at 2 Main St., was built 75 years ago and closed in 2015. Gilman explained that this presented a chance to reimagine and repurpose the building, which in hindsight "could and perhaps should have felt like a daunting task for a small town of 800 people with a very part-time and mostly volunteer local government."

"But the Select Board at the time boldly moved forward with keeping activity in the building until a permanent plan could be put in place. Folks asked the Select Board about using space in the building for a variety of purposes," he said.

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