Mary has been with the Bank for almost seven years, and she currently is a First Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager. Mary is passionate about philanthropy and has helped many nonprofit organizations throughout her career.
“Being involved in the community is part of what has made my career so rich and fulfilling,” said Mary. “I’m excited to be part of the decision-making process for The Coop Foundation.”
Former employee board members are Michelle LeBlanc, Christine Parent and Jessica Terry. Christine’s term ends in June and will overlap with Mary’s for six months.
“It was so rewarding being involved in providing the resources to help so many nonprofits do so much in our local community, especially when the need has never been so great,” said Christine. “I had no idea how many different organizations we assist in a given year, such as Champ Homes, Heroes in Transition and Cape Cod Children’s Place. Knowing that the funds provided through the Foundation helped these organizations continue to expand their mission is incredibly rewarding.”
The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust (The Coop Foundation) has awarded $26,000 in grants to five nonprofit organizations that enhance quality of life by addressing fundamental needs and challenges of the local community.
During the quarterly meeting of the Board of Trustees, the following grants were awarded:
$10,000 to the Falmouth Housing Trust New Projects Fund that enables the organization to quickly respond to opportunities to acquire property; develop affordable housing that meets the needs, character and best interest of the community; and help the Town of Falmouth work toward its 10% affordable housing goal. This grant will specifically support two affordable housing projects in process: Lewis Neck Road and Esker Place in Falmouth. Between the properties, four homes will be added to Falmouth’s affordable housing stock.
$5,000 to Lower Cape Leadership Forum to continue a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training program that began earlier this year. The Forum is a collaboration of six Cape Cod organizations that work to enhance the quality of human services to low- and moderate-income families on the Lower and Outer Cape. Forum members include Cape Cod Children’s Place; Community Development Partnership; The Family Pantry of Cape Cod; Homeless Prevention Council; Helping Our Women; and WE CAN. The organizations each serve diverse populations, underlying the critical need for DEI training to enhance knowledge, skills and actions to improve the quality of services for each agency. $4,000 to Camp Lightbulb, one of the first overnight camps for LGBTQ+ youth in the nation. The grant will provide a full scholarship for three local youth for the 2022 three-week summer camp in Provincetown. Camp Lightbulb will give recipients the opportunity to explore their identity, the arts and the outdoors.
$4,000 to Duffy Health Center to help fund a part-time consultant for phase two of a medical respite program, established in collaboration with Cape Cod Healthcare and several other health and housing partners. Medical respite care is acute and post-acute medical care for homeless persons who are too ill or frail to recuperate from an illness or injury on the streets, but not ill enough to be hospitalized.
$3,000 to Mass Appeal, a volunteer-staffed organization with a mission to provide free clothing to residents of the four towns on the Outer Cape: Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown. The grant will be used to purchase athletic shoes for children. Most items offered at Mass Appeal are donated, but the organization purchases new winter boots and sneakers annually using grant funds.
“Congratulations to the deserving nonprofits that have been recognized in the latest round of The Coop Foundation grant awards,” said Lisa Oliver, President, Chair and CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “These organizations have a meaningful impactful by providing services to our vulnerable and underserved neighbors. I hope these acts of kindness inspire all of us during this holiday season to support the many charitable causes serving the needs of Cape Cod residents.”
Thank you to everyone who donated warm children’s clothing to our “Stuff A Stocking Clothing Drive”. Donations were brought to our branches through Dec. 31. The clothing drive benefitted Katelynn’s Closet, a Cape Cod nonprofit organization devoted to providing children in need with clothing, footwear, and basics to help them maintain their dignity and foster self-esteem. Thank you again!
Give Hope through Independence House
We partnered with Independence House – a Cape-based nonprofit that helps survivors of domestic and sexual assault, and their children – this holiday season.
Donations from $15 to $100 helped provide hotline assistance, counseling services, clothing, transportation, and so much more. Donations for Independence House were made directly to the nonprofit at https://independencehouse.org/coop-give-hope-healing/ through Friday, Dec. 31.
#GivingTuesday
We’re proud to continue our #GivingTuesday tradition of supporting local food pantries by donating $1,000 each to 10 different pantries across the Cape.
Our employees helped 12 students this holiday season through the Marguerite E. Small Elementary School’s “Adopt a Family” fundraiser.
In 2021, our employees have raised about $21,000 through employee-managed #PayItForward Program. For the past 12 years, our employees have supported local nonprofit organizations in our community by wearing jeans at work.
Every other Friday, employees donate a minimum of $5, and an organization is designated as the beneficiary. The organizations are nominated by employees and selected by the employee-based Pay It Forward committee. The only criteria for nominations is that the organization be affiliated with Cape Cod and a registered 501(c)3.
This holiday season, our employees worked in teams to use #PayItForward funds for the following holiday community programs:
Adopt A Family: Our employees helped 12 students this holiday season through the Marguerite E. Small Elementary School‘s “Adopt a Family” fundraiser.
The Salvation Army’s Dress A Live Doll: The program pairs volunteers with children whose caregivers need a little extra help in making their holidays special.
Stuff-A-Bus/Toys for Tots: The Stuff-A-Bus has been a Cape Cod holiday tradition since 1996. All toys and money collected go to the Marines’ Toys for Toys program and stay on Cape Cod.
For the eighth consecutive year, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod supported local food pantries for Giving Tuesday 2021. The Coop will donate $10,000 to 10 local pantries serving communities from Falmouth to Provincetown.
“Through the generosity of our communities, local food pantries have been able to respond to the increased demand for service during the pandemic,” said Lisa Oliver, Chair, President and CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “During the past 20 months, a spotlight was placed on our vulnerable neighbors living paycheck to paycheck in a region with high housing and cost of living expenses. We are fortunate to have a vibrant nonprofit and volunteer network on Cape Cod focused on mitigating food insecurity, and The Coop is proud to support them now and in the future.”
Giving Tuesday was established in 2012 as a dedicated day during the holiday season to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, Giving Tuesday has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity.
Lisa Oliver, President and CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, stands with Jim Kiley, left, President of the Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod, and Paul Bober, member of the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod, at the Dec. 6 reception for grant awardees.
The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust is pleased to announce $55,000 in grants to local organizations for the final quarter of the year. These grants cap The Coop Foundation’s inaugural year of giving, a year in which The Foundation awarded $180,000 to twenty-two non-profit organizations Cape-wide.
From support to families and children to supporting educational and healthcare opportunities, The Coop Foundation is proud to provide funding to the following organizations:
The Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod received a grant of $5,000 for their After School Teen Program. The Teen Program served 441 teens in 2018, with an average daily attendance of 47 teens a day in winter, with Friday night’s attendance running between 80 to 200 teens who come for special Friday programs. For every $1 invested in the Boys & Girls Clubs in Massachusetts, $9.60 is created in lifetime economic benefits for our young members, their families, and the wider community due to decreased juvenile crime, teen births, increased graduation and employment rates, and financial support for parents.
Cape Cod Community College Educational Foundation received a grant of $50,000 over 5 years, with $25,000 coming from The Coop Foundation and $25,000 coming from additional funding at The Coop. This grant will go towards the Campaign for a new Science and Engineering Center at Cape Cod Community College. A new state-of-the-art Science and Engineering Center will provide the resources needed to make a significant impact on student outcomes and their job readiness in existing and emerging fields.
Outer Cape Healthcare Services received a grant of $25,000 over 5 years for their Enhancing Spaces, Impacting Lives campaign for their new Harwich Port Health Center. As a community health center, OCHS works to ensure that those who live here year-round have access to quality health care, whether they are working, raising families, or retired. Relocating and expanding the existing undersized Harwich facility a mile away has enabled OCHS to meet the growing healthcare needs of the community by providing new and essential services to more people.
Whelden Memorial Library is local treasure in the West Barnstable community, serving the residents with a safe gathering place for community groups, in-person resources and assistance, access to online resources and CLAMS catalogue, educational events, and a variety of classes. After sustaining significant water damage from winter storms last year, the Library is embarking on a campaign to update the drainage system of the building. The Coop Foundation awarded the library its first community Match Grant and will match funds raised in the community to help restore the building.
Additionally, the Bank donated $1,000 from funds outside of The Coop Foundation to the Takeaway Meal Program and Paper Pantry at St. David’s Episcopal Church. This program is open to all in the community and provides free personal hygiene products not covered by other assistance programs. In addition, patrons of the Paper Pantry receive a free nutritious meal to take home to their families.
“This was a tremendous inaugural year for The Coop Foundation,” said Lisa Oliver, President & CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod and Chair of The Coop Foundation Board of Trustees. “On behalf of the board and the entire team at The Coop Foundation, it is our distinct honor to support these local organizations that are working tirelessly to meet the fundamental needs and challenges of our friends and neighbors on the Cape. We look forward to many more years of helping to cultivate vibrant and thriving communities.”
Launched in December 2018, The Coop Foundation awards grants to 501(c)(3) organizations that enhance quality of life through programs and initiatives that meet the fundamental needs of people in the communities the bank serves. The Foundation’s mission is to cultivate vibrant and thriving communities and seeks to partner with organizations working in the fields of economic development and self-sufficiency, community vitality and sustainability, thriving youth and families, education and learning, and health and human care.
The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod is helping local families secure homes through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
The Coop is providing home financing for two families moving into new homes in Marstons Mills. The homes, located on Dickinson Drive, were built by community volunteers, local families and donors from Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod.
“A home is where families grow, memories are made and possibilities arise. But sadly, not everyone has a safe, healthy place to call home. Instead, many Cape Codders struggling to get by, forced to live in substandard housing,” said Charlotte Green, Residential Mortgage Sales Manager, Officer. “The Coop believes everyone deserves decent, affordable housing on Cape Cod. That’s why Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod and The Coop are partnering together to provide financing for families in Marstons Mills.”
Added Victoria Goldsmith, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod: “We are thrilled to have The Cooperative Bank join us as an important partner to the success of this project. Their participation as mortgage lender increases our capacity to offer the opportunity of affordable home ownership to more local families.”
Home Dedication
A home dedication and open house will be held on April 9th at 4 PM to welcome the families into their new homes. The community is welcome to attend.
“These awardees provide much needed services to the Cape Cod community,” said Lisa Oliver, President and CEO of The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, and President of The Coop Foundation Board of Trustees. “We are thrilled to invest in their efforts through the Foundation.”
The Coop Foundation was launched as an extension of the bank’s long-standing charitable giving programs. “We’ve given back to the community throughout the Bank’s 98-year history. Creating the Foundation solidifies our commitment to invest the communities we serve in perpetuity,” added Oliver. “We look forward to supporting the work of numerous local organizations through grants in the years ahead.”
“We are so grateful to The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust for their generous donation to help serve more kids with a mentor,” said JR Mell, Regional Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod & the Islands. “We are honored that the Foundation has invested in our next phase of strategic growth with a multi-year commitment to our mission. This gift enables us a solid foundation to support the next 3 years of defending potential for under-resourced families right here on Cape Cod.”
Added Wendy Cullinan, Director of Resource Development, Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod: “We are delighted and deeply appreciative that The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust has made such a significant donation to the Rotary’s Campaign to raise $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod. We rely on the support of our community to serve our mission and this is community at its best.”
About The Coop Foundation Trust
Launched in December of 2018, The Coop Foundation awards grants to 501(c)(3) organizations that enhance quality of life through programs and initiatives that meet the fundamental needs of people in the communities the bank serves. The Foundation identified five core areas of impact that will be considered for grants initially. They include economic development and self-sufficiency, community vitality and sustainability, thriving youth and families, education and learning, and health and human care.
The Coop Foundation solidifies and formalizes The Coop’s commitment as a mutual bank to give back to the community, earmarking funds for philanthropy that won’t decrease according to the bottom line, but increase as the assets of the Trust grows. The Coop Foundation serves as an extension of the Bank’s current community giving program by enhancing and expanding it.
For more information on the Foundation and how to apply for a grant:
After a successful start last year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod & the Islands is relaunching its “30 Guys in 30 Days” campaign. The agency is seeking to recruit more men on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard to support the high demand for mentors.
JR Mell, the organization’s regional director, said “It is a misconception that being a mentor is a huge commitment. We ask for volunteers to commit to a minimum of a year with a child in the community, meeting them two to three times each month for a few hours each time doing activities that you’d probably already be doing and enjoying. All of the bigs that I have talked to who have come forward and joined find that it’s very, very manageable. They feel like they almost get more out of it than the kids do, but it is a very rewarding volunteer opportunity on both sides.” Even though the minimum commitment for volunteering is one year, Mell says that most matches will continue as a lifetime friendship when the child outgrows the program. Mell volunteered as a big brother for close to ten years and feels that it’s the most rewarding thing that he has ever done.
A need for male ‘bigs’
Finding male mentors continues to be the biggest need for the organization. For every one girl who is referred or signed up for the program there are four boys. On the volunteer side, for every male volunteer who signs up there are four women who become mentors. “We are left with this large imbalance that we are trying to address with this campaign,” Mell said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters currently has 80 youth on a wait list for mentors with 63 percent of them being boys. The “30 Guys in 30 Days” campaign was started last year as the wait list for boys had really grown. “We found it to be really successful in the community.” The campaign will be promoted across the region through digital videos and in-person events to show men what it means to be a mentor with the organization. The enrollment team, which matches bigs with littles, get to know volunteers as a person and match them with children who have similar interests.
Many other community organizations already come forward to help with the campaign. Barnstable Police Officer and Big Brother Corey Frederickson, Cape Cloth’s Founder Sean Fitzpatrick, and Peter Rice with the Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod and a Big Brother will all be featured in video clips highlighting the need for male volunteers. You can watch Peter’s video below.
Interested volunteers can learn more at www.bbbsmb.org/cape-cod/. Groups or organizations who may want to help the agency with the campaign should contact Mell at jrmell@bbbscci.org or by calling 508-771-5150 extension 101.
Left to right: Laurie Maul, Kirsten Wickson, Charlotte Green
As a community bank, we take pride in the role we play on Cape Cod by helping our friends and neighbors achieve their financial goals and dreams. But, we do so much more than that. We support hundreds of nonprofit organizations, sponsor events, and volunteer for local charities. To that end, we would like to honor and congratulate a few of our employees who volunteer their time and were recently appointed to serve on a nonprofit board of directors.
WE CAN
Laurie Maul, VP and Human Resources Manager, was appointed as the Personnel Committee Chair to the WE CAN Board of Directors. Laurie joined WE CAN because she has long admired the organization’s ability to provide women with dignity and support as they develop the necessary skills to turn their unique challenges into opportunities for growth and empowerment.
Cape Cod Center for the Arts
Kirsten Wickson, the Bank’s CRM Administrator joined the Board of Directors for the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, the organization that oversees the Cape Playhouse in Dennis Village. The playhouse has undergone significant changes over the past few years and Kirsten is excited to help them as they unfold their strategic plan, which includes launching a capital campaign to update the aging buildings.
Cape Cod Young Professionals
Charlotte Green, our Assistant Residential Mortgage Sales Manager, was appointed to the Cape Cod Young Professionals Board of Directors this month. CCYP connects Cape Cod’s emerging workforce and community leaders, engages them in the community, and supports their efforts to advance, personally and professionally. The Coop has been a Premier Sponsor of the organization for over 6 years and we’re glad to continue to give back to the organization through volunteer support as well.
We’re proud to support the communities where we live and work and grateful for the Positively Different people who work for us!
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Mary Lenihan has been chosen to serve as our Employee-At-Large board member for the The Coop Foundation.
