[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Walpole Co-operative Bank did so much for Walpole that for the first time ever, the Friends of St. Patrick named a business as their “Person of the Year.”
Giving the award to a business rather than an individual may have been unprecedented, but as Friends of St. Patrick President Donnell Murphy explained, the business had done so much for the community, especially in terms of creating the new South Street Center, that they were the clear choice.
“The big thing was their participation with the center on aging,” Murphy explained. “They managed to get it done when the town had been trying to do that for a really long time.”
As a result of their victory, representatives of the bank were invited to the Raven’s Nest Pub on Friday morning for a celebratory breakfast - a convenient locale given the proximity to the bank. The breakfast presented a unique mixture of bank executives in business suits, Friends of St. Patrick members in their festive green clothing, and the occasional appearance of a tri-corner hat and stocking-wearing Colonial Boy grabbing a bite to eat or a bloody Mary before the parade.
The town was out in full force to celebrate with the Friends of St. Patrick.
While the award went to the bank itself, President and CEO Joe Scholl represented the business in the accompanying parade. Scholl noted that they were “appreciative and humble” in receiving the award, and seeing that the bank’s history of philanthropy was being noticed.
As part of the award, Walpole Co-operative Bank could choose three charities to which the Friends of St. Patrick would donate. The bank chose Golden Opportunities for Independence (GOFI), a Walpole-based service dog charity that seeks to “empower people with a disability to live a more fulfilling life with the love and assistance of a dog and a mentor”; “Smiling Eyes,” a charity that seeks to help less fortunate Walpole families enroll their kids in town-sponsored recreation programs; and the Walpole Community Food Pantry.
After the breakfast, the parade was held, bringing the usual bagpipers, police motorcycles, and marching bands - in addition to Scholl, representing Walpole Co-operative Bank and riding in the back of a Cadillac - down Main Street to kick off the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
