Bankers and Knitters Unite

Since retiring from State Street Bank, Joe Paluzzi has taken an active role in the community.  A member of the Spirit of State Street Alumni Volunteer Program and regular at the Wednesday afternoon Poker League at the (along with his volunteer work at the Center teaching puzzles) Joe stays pretty busy. 

At a recent Spirit of State Street volunteer function, Joe learned about the group’s involvement with the “Caps for Kids” program at Children’s Hospital in Boston.  Joe “thought it was such a neat worthwhile effort” and wondered how he could participate.

Shortly after, on a Wednesday afternoon at the Swampscott Senior Center, Joe noticed the women in the Knitting Group (which also meets on Wednesdays) “busily knitting away and the idea just popped into my mind.” 

So he approached the about his role with the Spirit of State Street and the volunteer work they do with The Children’s Hospital in Boston.  Joe wanted to know if the knitters would be interested in making a donation of a few handcrafted items for patients at the hospital.  (Full disclosure here, I am myself a regular participant in the Wednesday knitting sessions.) 

The women in the Knitting Group responded enthusiastically and began work on items they felt the children would appreciate and find welcoming. 

After a few weeks of putting their needles and ideas to work, the knitters had created a robust collection of lovingly crafted baby blankets, caps, sweaters, knitted toys, etc.  They assembled the collection in a big basket and tied it all up with a big bow to present to Joe one recent Wednesday afternoon at the Senior Center.

Erika Beer, Program Manager at The Spirit of State Street accepted the basket from Joe with “many thanks to the knitters for the beautiful handmade creations” and stated the “knitting project has been going on throughout the year and we have collected hundreds of items for patients at Children’s Hospital. 

The items are distributed to children coming out of surgery or who are receiving treatment at the hospital.”

So the story doesn’t stop here.  The knitters continue to create items for the next collection of donations and look forward to regular contributions to Children’s Hospital throughout the year.

About the Swampscott Senior Center

The Swampscott Senior Center is located at the rear of the Swampscott High School and offers many activities for area seniors, including Bowling, Golf, Bridge, Cribbage, Mahjong, Beano, Creative Writing, Line Dancing, and Tap Dancing to name a few.

The mission of the Swampscott Council on Aging is:

• To serve all seniors with dignity and positive regard
• To identify and respond to the needs of elders and to advocate on their behalf
• To promote an awareness in the community of issues regarding seniors

More information can be found at www.town.swampscott.ma.us/Public_Documents/SwampscottMA_Aging/index.

About the Spirit of State Street Alumni Volunteer Program

The program provides an opportunity for retired and former State Street employees to help others through community service. The program connects alumni and current State Street employees by establishing meaningful volunteer opportunities that address community needs. 

The program goals include:

• Cultivating opportunities for alumni to continue making a difference by using their time and talents to address the needs of the greater community
• Creating a social outlet for alumni by providing volunteer opportunities and outreach efforts that also enhance personal growth and development
• Expanding the network of State Street ambassadors in the community
• Providing a means for alumni to build and maintain strong relationships with fellow alumni and current State Street employees

More information can be found at www./statestreet.com/alumni/index.html.