April 3, 2007

People's Bank Donates More Than $100,000 to New Haven-Area Educational Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations

BRIDGEPORT, CONN. - People's Bank has a long history of supporting local educational and non-profit institutions in the greater New Haven area. This quarter, the bank continued its support with donations totaling more than $100,000.

Since January, People's Bank has contributed to a variety of community and social service organizations with the bulk directed to the city of New Haven. Donations for the city totaled roughly $71,000, with $25,000 going to the Saint Raphael Foundation, Inc.

"People's Bank has been a longtime and devoted supporter of the Hospital of Saint Raphael. The relationship has been a wonderful partnership between a great bank and a great teaching hospital," said Buck Wilson, the Foundation's executive director.

Wilson noted the $25,000 recently donated by People's Bank has made possible Saint Raphael's nationally recognized outreach program, "Smiles-2-Go." The program sends a fully equipped and staffed dental office, housed in an "18 wheeler" to local schools, providing much needed dental care to students who might not otherwise receive treatment. People's Bank's support of Saint Raphael's mobile dental clinic began in 2001 and over the past 6 years People's has contributed $200,000 to this program.

"In furtherance of Saint Raphael's mission to bring the best in medical care to the poor, the elderly and the underserved, Smiles-2-Go sees more than 650 patients per year in Greater New Haven, 90% of them needy school children. The clinic's staff provides routine screenings, cleanings and filling of cavities, as well as follow-up care," said Wilson.

This month, People's Bank also made a $75,000 pledge to Saint Raphael's 2nd Century of Caring cancer campaign, which will be paid in $25,000 increments over the next three years. Proceeds of the campaign will be used to provide leading edge equipment in the Father Michael J. McGivney Center for Cancer Care as well as establish a satellite cancer facility in Hamden.

"People's commitment to the health and well being of the citizens of Greater New Haven has been confirmed time and again by their generous contributions to key programs at Saint Raphael's where all who come through our doors are treated with skill and compassion, regardless of their ability to pay," said Wilson.

People's Bank also donated $30,000 to the towns surrounding New Haven, including Woodbridge, Orange, West Haven, Hamden, Wallingford, Branford, Madison, Waterbury, Watertown, Cheshire and Southington.

Roughly $4,000 was donated to the town of Orange to support its Congregation of Shalom, its Economic Development Corporation, its Chamber of Commerce and Freeman Roberts Associates. Another $5,100 was given to the town of Hamden to support its High School Hockey program, the Sacred Heart Kindergarten & Nursery School and the Hamden chamber of Commerce. People's Bank also donated $2,500 in Branford to support the Bisno Productions show, "The Moth" and an additional $2,700 in Cheshire to support the Cheshire Herald, Cheshire Chamber of Commerce, and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.