Dedham Savings Continues Street Festival Sponsorship
From left, Charles W. Sittig, Senior Branch Supervisor, Michael Brennan, Assistant Manager, Keisha Shirley, Senior Assistant Branch Manager, and Valleri Lovely, Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager, are always there for their customers and the community.
We are excited to announce that Dedham Savings is a $5,000 sponsor of the 21st annual South Boston Street Festival.
Since opening their South Boston location five years ago, the Dedham Savings branch has sponsored the event every single year.
“SBNDC is a strong promoter of local businesses. The annual Street Festival is a great example of this and we’re proud to support it,” said Valleri Lovely, Dedham Savings Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager, noting that the Street Festival was the South Boston branch’s very first sponsorship. “We’re always excited to take part in this fun annual tradition.”
“Dedham Savings has been a dedicated community banking partner in South Boston,” said Donna Brown, Executive Director of South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation. “We are honored to have their support for the South Boston Street Festival again this year.”
Valleri loves the energy of the event. “I love seeing everybody. I love the food and the music. There’s a good vibe in the air and everybody’s just having a good time.”
The first year the branch participated in the event, they gave away South Boston T-shirts that had the Southie ZIP code on the front and South Boston and Dedham Savings on the back. “They were a big hit.”
Long after that first Festival, Valleri continued to see people wearing those shirts. “It showed me how proud everyone was of this community.”
An important part of Dedham’s mission is giving back to the community. “We support local events and fundraisers, and we also give larger grants through the Dedham Savings Community Foundation,” Valleri said. “We know that these local organizations are a big part of what makes our community so special, and by supporting them we support our community.”
Here are just a few of the programs Dedham Savings has supported locally (the list is way too long to chronicle here):
Provided $75,000 to local food pantries and $50,000 in housing grants to local communities, including South Boston, in response to the impact of COVID-19.
Donated $30,000 toward the South Boston Library courtyard renovation. “It’s a nice safe place for children, community events, and seniors,” Valleri said.
Provided a $25,000 grant to South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation for building improvements and energy efficiency enhancements.
Branch employees conduct financial literacy programs for children and fraud prevention seminars for seniors.
Held a virtual art contest for Boston Public School students to keep them engaged during COVID. Prizes were given to individual winners, and Dedham Savings also donated money to Boston Public Schools as well as the school with the most submissions.
Supported a Little Free Library that will be located at the Labouré Center.
Funded Pedicabs for the South Boston Chamber of Commerce strolls.
This fall, the branch will hold contests on its Facebook page for customers to win gift cards to its business customers. The contest is another way for the branch to support the community and local businesses.
The branch provides tote bags for the South Boston Farmers Market.
“Our goal is to be an integral and supportive part of the community,” Valleri said. “We are here for South Boston and we want to make a difference.
“We’re a local community bank, right here in the neighborhood. When you call us, you always get a person on the other end of the phone. We love to have customers stop by, but we also know many people prefer to bank using our digital services. We help customers all the time to start banking on their computer or phone. Basically, we’ll help you bank your preferred way.”
Dedham is committed to helping its customers with their financial journey from opening their first savings account to buying their first home to planning for retirement. “We offer all the same accounts and digital services as larger national banks, but with a local, personal touch.”