Eastern Bank honors “Community Quarterbacks” with $1 million in grants

$10,000 for East Boston-based Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH)

Doug Flutie, Philip Giffee of NOAH and CEO of Eastern Bank, Rich Holbrook from yesterday's fourth annual Community Quarterback, where Eastern Bank awarded over $1 million in grants to 61 non-profit organizations in Massachusetts. The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing of East Boston was among the recipients.
 

CEO Rich Holbrook and former quarterback Doug Flutie award 61 Massachusetts non-profit organizations through the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation

BOSTON, March 25, 2008 – Eastern Bank today honored 61 non-profit organizations with $1 million in grants for their outstanding community leadership at its 4th Annual “Community Quarterback” award ceremony today. Among them were six organizations that received “surprise” grants of $10,000 each to prevent youth violence in the city of Boston. The number of honorees and the total amount awarded to them are the largest since the honor was created in 2005.

Chairman and CEO Richard E. Holbrook and former quarterback Doug Flutie, the bank’s spokesman, honored the organizations before more than 100 guests during a ceremony at the headquarters of Boston-based Citizen Schools, which was also one of the organizations recognized during the event. Each of the 61 organizations received a grant of $10,000 or more from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation.

The grants were among the almost $3 million donated last year to hundreds of organizations by the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. Each “Community Quarterback” recipient honored at the ceremony received a “Community Quarterback” football autographed by Flutie, celebrating and symbolizing its leadership.

"Massachusetts is a great place to work and live,” Holbrook said. "There are many reasons for its excellence, and among them is the work being done by outstanding organizations and people, like the ones we are honoring here today. It is my pleasure to recognize and reward their dedication to improving the quality of life in our communities. The leadership and commitment to helping others that "Community Quarterback’ organizations demonstrate is an inspiration to us at Eastern Bank."

Among the organizations receiving grants were six that received grants of $10,000 each to support programs aimed at preventing youth violence: Boston Urban Youth Foundation, Center for Teen Empowerment, Family Service of Greater Boston, Hyde Square Task Force, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and Peace Games, Inc. Flutie said, "I’m proud to partner with Eastern Bank. Not only does Eastern give back to the community, but also it recognizes people and organizations that do the same. Over the years, the Community Quarterback event has become one of my favorites, because I get to partner with Rich Holbrook and shake the hands of dedicated individuals whose organizations truly make a difference each and every day."

The primary focus of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation is to support local organizations that provide basic human services to residents of eastern Massachusetts. The organizations honored today are located in communities throughout eastern Massachusetts, from the Merrimack Valley to Cape Cod. While the types of organizations honored by the foundation vary greatly, the grant recipients generally provide services in the following areas: affordable housing, homelessness prevention, job readiness, family and children, human services and community healthcare.

“Each organization honored today exemplifies the spirit of the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation by contributing, in a meaningful way, to the health and vitality of the communities served by Eastern Bank,” said Holbrook.

Source: Jason Howarth  | Jenna Walsh jhowarth@ctpboston.com |  jwalsh@ctpboston.com