New Bedford Public Schools Receive $40,000 Grant from Bristol County Savings

Bristol County Savings Bank (BCSB), through its Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation (BCSCF), recently awarded a grant totaling $40,000 to the New Bedford Public Schools’ Pathways to Diploma Program which is designed to meet the academic needs of teenagers who are struggling with the English language. Many of these English Language Learners (EEL) are in homes where a language other than English is spoken and have been identified as being at risk of dropping out of school or have already dropped out. The Program provides a pathway for students that includes high school completion, a post-secondary certification program and employment services to increases the students’ career opportunities after graduation. Since 2007, the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation has donated more than $4 million to 501(c)(3) organizations in the Southcoast.

“Bristol County Savings Bank is a mutual community bank so we believe that the neighborhoods we serve are our stakeholders. This allows us to place a premium on being actively involved in the community in order to meet the growing needs of the population and to support the local economy,” said Patrick J. Murray, Jr., President of the BCSCF and President & CEO of BCSB. “So many of our young people today, especially in an urban area like New Bedford, find themselves struggling with the English language, as well as math. This program will help these teenagers find a path focused on education and rewarding employment.” Murray added that the grant will go towards fees for courses, transportation, field trips to potential job sites, resume building and workplace preparedness.
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The Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation was established in 1996 as part of the Bank’s 150th Anniversary celebration. Its purpose is to fund needs that contribute to the economic and the social well-being of the people and institutions located in the greater Attleboro/Taunton Region, the greater New Bedford/Dartmouth Region, the Fall River Region and the Pawtucket, Rhode Island Region, with particular emphasis in the areas of education and literacy, economic development and housing for the low- to moderate-income population. Since the Foundation began, $17.6 million has been committed to hundreds of different non-profit organizations. In 2015, the Foundation awarded $1.7 million to various 501©(3) organizations.