HANSCOM AFB, Mass.–Hanscom FCU’s Holiday Raffle raised a grand total of $13,088, making it a record-breaking year of employee and volunteer support for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless’s Bed for Every Child Initiative.
The contributions from Hanscom FCU employees totaled $6,544, which was matched by a $6,544 gift from the credit union. The donation will provide 52 beds for children in need in the commonwealth.
Hanscom FCU raised other funds throughout the year including chocolate sales, branch lobby collection boxes, and MemberPoints donations, resulting in a grand total of $16,787.82 for the Coalition in 2018.
“Our employees and volunteers give not just financial support, but their time, their compassion, and their hearts to help children during a time of year that can be difficult for many families,” said Paul Marotta, Hanscom FCU’s chairman. “Whether a raffle prize was won or not, we all won by lending a helping hand to those who need our help the most, children who’ll be able to sleep soundly at night and perform well at school the next day.”
The money raised in this year’s raffle will be given to the Cooperative Credit Union Association’s Social Responsibility Committee by Marotta, who is the committee’s Chairman.
Advocates with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, working with the public schools to assist families at risk of homelessness, learned that many children struggle in school because they do not get a good night’s sleep. For many, the reason is that they do not have their own beds. As a result, the Coalition launched A Bed for Every Child to provide beds for children in need, the credit union said.
At right, from left: Cara Powers, Executive Administrative Assistant, and Laura Galeski, Social Responsibility Manager, preparing for Hanscom FCU’s 2018 record-breaking employee raffle.