Danversbank’s Annual Golf Classic Raises $25,000 for Guard Support

DANVERS – Danversbank’s annual Charity Golf Classic was held at Myopia Hunt Club in Hamilton on October 18th and raised $25,000 for Guard Support of Massachusetts (GSMA). Danversbank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Danvers Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: DNBK).

Left to right: Kevin Bottomley, Danversbank President
& CEO and Michael Finer, Guard Support of Mass.
board member and Lt. Colonel in the Mass. National Guard

Guard Support was founded in 2007 by Marblehead resident Nate Dalton, after his friend and neighbor Michael Finer received word of his deployment to Iraq. After learning of his pending deployment, Michael voiced concerns to Nate about how his home and business would run in his absence and about the soldiers under his command who were burdened with similar worries. That was when Nate sprung into action and founded Guard Support to assist soldiers and families of Massachusetts soldiers on tour abroad.

During the Charity Golf Classic reception, Finer, who is now a Lt. Colonel in the Army National Guard, Past Battalion Commander of the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiments and Guard Support board member, spoke about his personal experience and how GSMA assisted him and his family during his deployment. “The only way I was able to speak with my family for a year was through SKYPE. Guard Support gave us the resources to talk often, which helped me to stay positive and assured my family I was doing okay,” he said. “Danversbank’s donation today is going to help so many of the 3,000 Mass. Guard members being deployed to Afghanistan over the next several months in the same way.”

Danversbank President & CEO Kevin Bottomley thanked Michael for his dedicated service and explained his reason for naming Guard Support as this year’s beneficiary. “After learning about Guard Support in a news article earlier this year, we thought ‘what better way to support and honor our National Guard Members and their families?’” Mr. Bottomley said. “Most of us here today have not been affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the extent the families of our National Guard members have. This donation is a way to give back to the men and women who sacrifice their own safety everyday and whose families wait patiently for their return home.”

Two thousand and ten marks the seventh year the bank has held its charity golf tournament, raising $143,000 in total donations. Previous years’ beneficiaries were Horizons for Homeless Children (2009), Animal Rescue League of Boston (2008), Children’s Friend & Family Services (2007), Operation Troop Support (2006), One Family, Inc. (2005), and Massachusetts Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) (2004).

Seen in the attached photo is Danversbank President & CEO, Kevin Bottomley, (left) with Lt Colonel and Guard Support board member, Michael Finer. Bottomley presented Finer with a check payable to Guard Support for $25,000.

About Guard Support

The mission of Guard Support is to provide Massachusetts National Guard members and their families with emergency funds when deployment causes financial hardship, as well as assistance to sustain and grow the businesses of self-employed Guard members. Guard Support provides emergency assistance to families of deployed warriors, assistance to soldiers and airmen, and grants to Guard units to prepare families for the long-term absence of a parent. In 2010, Guard Support expanded its mission to provide expert advice and low-interest loans to self-employed National Guard members to expand their enterprises and encourage the employment of fellow warriors.

Guard Support offers the following four programs to help Guard members and their families: Emergency Financial Assistance grants; Family Readiness Group grants to provide funding for family group meetings, programs, send-off ceremonies and homecoming celebrations; Unit Support grants to provide transportation for members to visit their families while on deployment and Internet access for email and SKYPE; and the Entrepreneurs’ Funding Program which provides seed and expansion capital to businesses founded by National Guard members. For more information, visit guardsupport.org

About Danversbank

Danversbank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Danvers Bancorp, Inc., a holding company with approximately $2.6 billion in total assets. Danvers Bancorp, Inc., through Danversbank, offers a wide range of commercial and retail banking services, including commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans, owner-occupied residential mortgages and consumer loans, treasury management, debit and credit card products, online banking, and investment management services. Danversbank operates a total of 28 branches in the following communities: Andover, Beverly, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Danvers, Hamilton, Malden, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Middleton, Needham, Peabody, Reading, Revere, Salem, Saugus, Topsfield, Waltham, Wilmington, and Woburn, Massachusetts. As a member of both the FDIC and the Depositors Insurance Fund, Danversbank has 100% deposit insurance coverage, regardless of account balance.

To view the original news release issued by Danversbank, click here

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