January 17, 2011

Photo Finish from the Jan. 17, 2011 issue

Photo/Courtesy The Worcester Ninety Nine Restaurant raised $3,604 for the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, part of the company's Boys & Girls Club Awareness Month in October. Overall, Ninety Nine Restaurants raised $153,000 for local Boys & Girls Clubs. Pictured is John Grady, president of Ninety Nine Restaurants, along with members of the Boys & Girls Club.

Photo/Courtesy Panera Bread presented the Walk to Cure Cancer/UMass Memorial Cancer Center of Excellence with $10,000 raised through its â€œOperation Dough-Nationâ€ program. Each dollar donated into store canisters at participating Worcester bakery-cafÃ&Copy;s went toward supporting the Walk to Cure Cancer. Customer donations were then matched by Panera Bread dollar for dollar. Pictured, from left to right, are: Bob Perella, corporate relations officer at UMass Medical School; Mitch Roberts, co-owner of PR Restaurants; Rob Jenkins, general manager of Panera Bread, Westborough; Alan Rosmarin, division chief of hemotology and oncology, UMass Medical Center; and Tamara Hampton, event manager of UMass Walk to Cure Cancer.

Photo/Courtesy Southbridge Credit Union's Community Champions Fund donated $1,000 to the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge to support the library's educational programs. The donation will support financial education and literacy causes. The fund recognizes four local groups each year and has supported 68 organizations serving southern Worcester County. Pictured second from left are Yolanda Alvarado, SCU branch manager, and Paul Raffa, credit union business development manager, presenting a check to library trustees. Margaret Morrissey, library director, is at far right.

Photo/Courtesy The Webster Five Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Webster Five Cents Savings Bank, donated $4,000 to the Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group (TEEG). The funds will help support the Parent Education and Support Program, which was established to increase effective parenting skills and to improve the parent-child relationship. Pictured, from left to right, are: Rich Leahy, president and CEO, Webster Five Cents Savings Bank; Karen Kempskie-Aquino, vice president, Webster Five Cents Savings Bank; and Donna Grant, executive director, TEEG.

Photo/Courtesy Worcester State University President Janelle Ashley and WSU Alumnus Paul LaCava helped to deliver toys to more than 100 children at St. Matthew's Church in Worcester Dec. 21 as part of a toy drive organized by the Plant a Seed Foundation. More than 5,000 toys were distributed throughout the community as part of the annual toy drive event that began when LaCava started collecting toys for children when he was a student at Worcester State College. Pictured, from left to right, are: Paul LaCava, Tommy Donoghue, Bobby Price, WSU President Janelle Ashley, Santa, Gilbert Figueroa, Laura Jette, Molly McCullough and David Tivnan.