FUNDRAISING Matt Bannister Bill Trudeau President and CEO of Insurance Center of New England When Bill Trudeau was considering having his company, Insurance Center of New England (ICNE), be a gold sponsor of the Gándara Center’s Frozen Yogurt 5K in Northampton for the third year in a row, it didn’t take him long to declare an emphatic “yes!” “After all, it’s for a great cause,” he said. “One of our core values at ICNE is ‘Always do the right thing,’ and that means being actively involved in the community.” Trudeau has always felt compelled to give back to the community, taking board member or board chair positions with such organizations as the American Red Cross of the Pioneer Valley, Hilltop Child & Adult Services, the Springfield Museums, the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County, and Hispanic Resources Inc., which provides housing for the mentally challenged primarily in the Hispanic community. For Trudeau, this sense of social responsibility is deeply rooted in his family and in his childhood experience with the Boy Scouts, charity work in high school, and chairing the philanthropy committee of his fraternity at UMass Amherst, where he graduated with a BA in General Business/ Finance. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life, and like the old saying, much is expected from those whom much is given,” he said. Through his church, Wilbraham United, he is involved in several mission outreach activities. Through Link to Libraries, a non-profit that distributes books, he has been a volunteer reader for elementary school students for the past three years. He especially likes getting involved in the Frozen Yogurt 5K because not only because of what it supports, but also because of the fun mood it creates in downtown Northampton. Trudeau joined Insurance Center of New England in 1990. He became a partner and owner in 2001, and has served as the president and CEO since 2012. First Vice President for Marketing and Innovation, PeoplesBank PeoplesBank has a long history of giving back to the community through volunteer efforts and millions of dollars in donations to charitable and civic causes. So when Matt Bannister, who manages the bank’s philanthropic grants to area non-profits and community service organizations, considered the Frozen Yogurt 5k as a possible recipient back in 2015, he said his decision was an easy one. “It gave us an opportunity to reach out and feel like we were directly impacting the lives of people who really need a helping hand,” he said. As a local, mutual bank, PeoplesBank has a commitment to better its communities, and has done so through a variety of green initiatives and programs that support academic achievement, home ownership, and affordable housing. When Bannister joined PeoplesBank nearly three years ago, he was a natural fit for his job because much of his career has involved promoting human causes on a large scale. Prior to his most recent post, he was executive vice president, corporate communications and brand content for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association in Dallas—the country’s largest health non-profit—for 14 years. Before that he was vice president-group account director at Arnold Worldwide, based in Boston, where he managed integrated marketing campaigns with a focus on anti-tobacco marketing efforts for the state and the FDA. In 2015, Bannister’s career brought him and his wife, Sharon, two daughters, and son back to western Massachusetts in part because he missed the Pioneer Valley, where he went to college at UMass Amherst. “Part of my previous job involved seeking donations, which certainly was fulfilling, and now I’m on the other side of the desk, in a role where we provide grants to the community,” said Bannister. “All told, it’s gratifying to give back through the work that I do.” 4th Annual Frozen Yogurt 5K Raises Over $20,000 to Build Playground More than 200 runners and walkers gathered in downtown Northampton on August 26 for the Gándara Center’s 4th Annual Frozen Yogurt 5K Run/Walk. The event raised more than $20,000 to build a universally accessible playground at Gándara’s Mooreland residential group home for children aged newborn to 12. “This playground will provide the youngest individuals we serve with some joy during an incredibly stressful time in their lives,” said Lisa Brecher, director of communications and development at the Gándara Center. “Giving these children a safe and fun outlet in their backyard will help provide a positive light to their stay.” Special thanks to our 20-plus volunteers!
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