Laura Alix
May being National Small Business Month, I’m naturally inundated with press releases celebrating one spin or another on the theme.
Some of it’s malarkey, of course. Do I really need to be the CEO of my life? And what does that even mean?
But one of these stories did catch my attention. A certain bank PR rep tipped me off to ALS One’s “A Thousand for a Thousand” campaign. Said PR rep stressed there was no need to highlight this particular bank, only that I should know this company was one of many pitching into the effort.
When I talked with Hilary Jenison, ALS One’s communications director, I could see why.
Here’s the backstory, courtesy of Jenison: Kevin Gosnell, a father of three and small business owner in Hanover, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ALS last year. He realized his days were quite literally numbered, and he resolved to do something about it.
As Jenison tells it, Gosnell rented a conference room at Mass. General Hospital and convened a meeting with some of the top doctors in the field. “What if you guys started working together? What would happen?” he asked. A one-hour meeting turned into a three-hour meeting and that turned into regular meetings.
Those doctors put together a joint science plan and estimated that with enough funding, they could cure ALS within four years. It was then that Gosnell set the ambitious goal of raising the money to get to that point.
“It’s been amazing. When Kevin set out to build the ALS One partnership it was really based on his experience as a small business owner. When you bring people together, the power of the team is really incredible,” Jenison told me.
She also described a previous fundraising campaign, “Eat to Defeat,” where ALS One rallied nearly 70 restaurants nationwide to donate 10 percent of their day’s profits to the cause on April 5.
Now, with “A Thousand for a Thousand,” ALS One is hoping to raise $1,000 from each of 1,000 businesses, and the Bay State’s banking community has thrown its weight behind the cause. Some have given $1,000 and some have certainly given more than that. Banks aren’t just cutting checks, Jenison said; they’re also leveraging their business networks to put the word out.
“They’ve been so supportive of ALS One. The number of banks that have come forward to support this campaign has been truly overwhelming,” she said. “Whether they’re sending out an email to their customer database or sharing information on their social media channels, the support of the banking community has really been unbelievable and overwhelming.”
I have it on good authority that the banks participating in “A Thousand for a Thousand” (so far) include: Avidia Bank, Bank of Canton, Berkshire Bank, Blue Hills Bank, Dedham Savings Bank, Eastern Bank, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Enterprise Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, First Ipswich, Leader Bank, MountainOne, Randolph Savings Bank, Village Bank, Rockland Trust, Salem Five, Webster Bank and Walpole Cooperative Bank.
Of course, let me know if I’ve left your institution off the list. (This goes for you, too, credit unions.)
Jenison estimates that ALS One has raised $150,000 so far in this campaign, with more than 100 businesses chipping in. They still have a way to go before they hit their goal of fundraising $1 million, so if you don’t see your name on this list, it’s worth checking out their campaign here.
