VSECU Provides $50,000 in Funding to Local Nonprofits

MONTPELIER, VT—VSECU distributed $50,000 in grants to eight Vermont nonprofits significantly impacted by COVID-19. The $5,000 and $10,000 grants will help preserve and create job opportunities, support local economic development, and further important community services.

The grants are funded by Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Jobs for New England Recovery Grant program. The program was specifically created in 2020 to provide member financial institutions with grants to support local small businesses and nonprofit organizations experiencing significant losses because of COVID-19. This is the second round of funding FHLBank Boston and VSECU are providing to Vermont nonprofits through the Jobs for New England Recovery Grant program. They also gave $100,000 in grants to seven nonprofits in November 2020.

“We are thrilled to once again partner with FHLBank Boston to support Vermont nonprofits that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic,” said Simeon Chapin, community impact officer at VSECU. “Nonprofits are important pillars of our local communities, and we are proud to assist them in improving the quality of life for Vermonters across our state.”

Grant recipients include the Capital City Farmers Market (CCFM), Central Vermont Memorial Civic Center, Child First Advocacy Center (CFAC), Energy Action Network (EAN), Green Mountain Club (GMC), Salvation Farms, Vermont Flight Academy (VFA), and Waterbury Ambulance Service, Inc. (WASI).

“As we lift restrictions and return to the traditional market as a communal gathering place, we're thrilled to bring back live music and social events,” said Keri Ryan, market manager at the Capital City Farmers Market. “VSECU's generous funding will go right back into the pockets of local musicians that perform each Saturday and help us host market events like the Strawberry Festival on July 3.”

“This generous donation will allow the Child First Advocacy Center to continue to provide support to victims in their recovery, and to strengthen and protect communities through early intervention, coordinated investigations and the pursuit of justice,” said Wendy Loomis, executive director at the CFAC.

“As the home for two high school hockey teams, youth athletic programs, and public community events, the Central Vermont Memorial Civic Center welcomes over 30,000 visitors through our doors each year,” said CVMCC’s Scott Grzankowski. “In the wake of reduced revenues due to COVID-19, the grant from VSECU and FHLBank Boston allowed us to keep our employees working full time.”

"This grant will help EAN analyze additional opportunities for Vermont to move beyond fossil fuel and continue growing a clean energy economy across our state,” said Jared Duval, executive director at EAN. “As our recent Annual Progress Report for Vermont shared, Vermont has the highest share of clean energy jobs of any state in the country. Working together as a Network, we have a significant opportunity to create even more-good paying clean energy jobs for Vermonters."

“The Green Mountain Club hires 40 seasonal staff each year to work on the Long Trail, side trails of the Long Trail, and Appalachian Trail in Vermont,” said Mike DeBonis, executive director at the GMC. “The generous $10,000 grant from VSECU will help GMC as it manages over 500 miles of hiking trails and completes trail work deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

"Receiving the unanticipated and unrestricted Jobs for New England Recovery Grants funds via VSECU supports Salvation Farms' efforts to increase our staff capacity,” said Theresa Snow, executive director at Salvation Farms. “Our employees are our organization's greatest asset, bringing our mission to build a more resilient food system by managing farm surplus foods through collaborative partnerships to bear in Vermont."

“The VSECU grant is going to help Vermont Flight Academy dramatically grow our FLIGHT VT program, which in turn will help sustain and create local jobs, and most importantly, provide worldview-changing opportunities for around 100 Vermont youth," said Tyler Brown, executive director at VFA.

“Waterbury Ambulance Service is so grateful to have received a Jobs for New England Recovery Grant,” said Mark Podgwaite, executive director at WASI. “We would not be able to do what we do—provide high-quality emergency care to our community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year—without the kindness and support of businesses like VSECU.”

About VSECU

VSECU is a member-owned cooperative and not for profit credit union for everybody who lives or works in Vermont, offering a full range of affordable financial products and services to its member-owners. VSECU is committed to improving the lives of Vermonters by empowering possibilities for greater social, environmental, and financial prosperity. For more information about VSECU, call 802/800 371-5162 or visit www.vsecu.com.

About FHLBank Boston

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston is a cooperatively owned wholesale bank for housing finance in the six New England states. Its mission is to provide highly reliable wholesale funding and liquidity to its member financial institutions in New England. The Bank also develops and delivers competitively priced financial products, services, and expertise that support housing finance, community development, and economic growth, including programs targeted to lower-income households.