UMass Five College Federal Credit union employees raised over $25,000 for the University of Massachusetts Cancer Center and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts this fall.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
HADLEY — UMass Five College Federal Credit Union has announced that its employees have raised over $25,000 for two local nonprofits during the fall of 2024.
$19,293 was raised in support of the University of Massachusetts Cancer Center via participation in the UMass Cancer Walk and Run, and $5,992 was raised for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts via participation in Will Bike 4 Food.
A longstanding and top supporter of the UMass Cancer Walk and Run event for 25 years, UMassFive employees join together annually as “Team UMassFive” to raise funds for cancer research and clinical trials at UMass Cancer Center — both personally and in branch locations.
“One of the ways that we give back as a credit union is by helping fundraise and support the local organizations that do so much good in our communities, and that’s really been one of our pillars as an organization really since our inception in 1967,” said UMassFive Vice President of Marketing Craig Boivin.
Boivin explained over the decades these efforts have taken different shapes and formations, but for the last 25 years efforts have gone toward the UMass Cancer Walk and Run specifically, and additionally for the last four years participation in the Will Bike 4 Food event.
Including the funds raised in 2024, Team UMassFive has raised nearly $206,000 in donations to the UMass Cancer Center over the lifetime of their participation.
“When it comes to cancer it’s really hard to find someone who either hasn’t been impacted personally or had a family or friend go through that journey in a different way shape or form, so that’s been a cause really near and dear to our hearts for quite some time,” Boivin said.
In 2024, fundraising efforts included raffle baskets, candy sales and art/jewelry sales. Donations were also sought from Credit Union corporate partners, whose support helps bolster efforts each year.
Since 2020, UMassFive employees have also rode bicycles in support of Will Bike 4 Food, a major fundraising event for the Food Bank of Western Mass. In 2024, 10 cyclists teamed up to raise almost $6,000 in support of their rides. Including the 2024 efforts, Team UMassFive has raised $23,500 over the lifetime of its participation, which equates to providing 94,000 meals to neighbors in need.
“Our employees understand that, together, we can make a significant impact on the local causes they care about,” said Cait Murray, community outreach manager at UMassFive. “We are so proud to see the generosity of our employees and members. The organizations we support through these efforts make such a big difference in our communities and we are thrilled to be a part of that.”
Boivin added with the chunk of work UMassFive does with local farms made the effort to add this event to their fundraising efforts an easy choice.
“We do a lot in the world of local farms and foods,” Boivin said, who was one of the cyclists on the UMassFive team. “Tying in food with making sure our local neighbors have what they need to eat and sustain themselves, that sort of became a no brainer. Good thing for us we have a good group of riders here as employees so that was a fun one.”
The total grassroots efforts of UMassFive employees have led to their best fundraising year yet, momentum Boivin hopes will continue into the future.
“It’s amazing to me every year how this all comes together, because there really is a lot of grass root efforts with the fundraising, specifically with our employees who are reaching out to their family and friends or doing more unique things,” Boivin added. “It’s a community effort within the credit union to support others in the local community which I think is pretty cool.”
Boivin added the opportunity to participate in these efforts brings excitement to the employees and to be able to fundraise for these causes.
“The organizations that we support through the efforts, they really feel our impact and our support and to me that’s one of the most important parts because those are the groups that are doing the real work in our community, and their nonprofits and those folks wear so many different hats to pull off what they do to give support to people who need it,” Boivin said.
