March 30, 2011 — St. Mary’s Bank recently gave $2,200 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester (BBBSGM) to help promote their new mission to Start Something™. Based around the slogan, “Have a little time? Make a big difference.”, Start Something™ is a nation-wide initiative encouraging people to take some of their free time and spend it volunteering at BBBSGM in a variety of capacities, including mentoring a “Little”, assisting with office tasks, , becoming a financial donor and helping at fundraising events.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters has been an integral part of the Greater Manchester community for 45 years, providing children and teens the opportunity to form strong one-to-one bonds with adult mentors,” said Tom Champagne, Director of Community Outreach at St. Mary’s Bank. “At St. Mary’s we’re pleased to support BBBSGM’s new agency alignment to Start Something™ BIG, as it provides the chance for individuals and families to volunteer together in a number of different and valuable ways.”

St. Mary’s donation will help defray the costs of creating outreach and marketing materials for the program, including brochures, business cards, envelopes and letterhead.

“St. Mary’s generous donation allows us to expand our marketing collateral, giving us the opportunity to reach out to more colleges, businesses and faith-based organizations in the interest of recruiting additional positive role models for our community’s youth,” said Jocelyn Perez, BBBSGM Executive Director. “We’re grateful for their support as we continue to develop and refine mentoring techniques to provide a safe and positive environment in which children ages 4-18 can develop and grow.”