May 11, 2025 • 5 mins
We spoke with Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, Marissa Weidner about the Birdies for Charity Program sponsored by Webster Bank.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Marissa Widner, chief Corporate Responsibility Officer
at Webster Bank. Good morning, Marissa.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning Alison. Thanks for having me on today.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
My pleasure. We are here to talk about Birdie's for Charity.
It's my first rodeo this year and I'm going to
learn from the best. I'm going to learn all about
it from you.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Great, I'm happy to tell you all about it.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
So you've been a sponsor for many, many, many years
of the tournament and the Birdie's for Charity program.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yes, we've been involved for over twenty years. We're one
of the founding sponsors of the tournament and certainly have
been dedicated to supporting Bertie's for Charity for many years.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
So when it comes to Bertie's for Charity, I understand
that the charity can receive a fifteen percent bonus.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Sure. So, since two thousand and four, Bertie's for Charity
has really built name recognition throughout the community associated with
the Travelers Tournament. The Birdi's for Charity program provides all
five oh one c three organizations throughout the region a
platform that utilizes the excitement around this amazing tournament to
(01:08):
help raise awareness and funds to support their mission. So
organizations can simply solicit donations through that platform, they'll receive
one hundred percent of what they raised and a bonus
for every dollar raised. And that's where Webster comes in
is we provide the funding for the bonus dollars. The
Birdie's for Charity program, you know, also provides an opportunity
(01:32):
for local nonprofits to share their stories through partnerships like
your radio show.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, it's absolutely amazing that you're going to do a
fifteen percent bonus. That's very generous of Webster Bank.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It's been remarkable year over year the program has grown.
In fact, last year they had one hundred and seventy
five different charities from around the region participate in the program,
and that was from one hundred and forty seven the
year prior, so you know, we saw a twenty percent
increase year over year. It's really been growing, and the
(02:08):
enthusiasm and the energy around it is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Do you know how many charities we have this year?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I don't know how many we have this year because
they have the opportunity to sign up and I don't
think they've hit the cutoff date for all of the
sign ups, but I know last year we had one
hundred and seventy five, so it'll be exciting to see
how many come through this year.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Absolutely, Actually, the deadline for charities to register for the
program is May thirtieth, and what you need to do
if you're listening is go to Travelers Championship dot com
slash Birdie's for charity. Again. If you go to Travelers
Championship dot com, you can see everything there and you
could also register it to be one of the charities.
(02:47):
Why did Webster Bank decide to become involved with something
like this?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So Webster we're very much a proud Connecticut based company
and this is an opportunity for us to give back
to so many nonprofits through the fundraising efforts of this tournament.
Like I said, last year, over one hundred and seventy
five nonprofits participated and we were able to be a
part of that. We're dedicated to corporate responsibility. It's integral
(03:14):
to the way that we do business. As a matter
of fact, this year we're celebrating our ninety year history
and giving back to the communities has been at our
core for all ninety years, from community support, volunteerism, and
financial investments, to working with community partners and awarding grants
to nonprofit organizations. They assist the most vulnerable populations the
(03:38):
nonprofits that we're working with, and we're really proud of
all of the work that we do to help the
needs of our communities in all of these different ways.
We really do believe it's important for Webster to continue
to support organizations that provide these critical services. We continue
to grow over the years, and so does our philanthropic impact.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
And when you say all of these amazing things happening
with the charities, how does it affect you personally?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Personally, I have the best stub on this planet, in
my opinion. I get to really see us putting our
dollars to good work into the community, seeing the benefits
that these community partners receive as a result, which really
end up benefiting all of the individuals in our communities
who need it most. There's nothing more gratifying than to
(04:25):
see the work that you put in turn into a result,
creating an impact that can change lives and alter the
shape of our community.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I can honestly say this happened to me A couple
of years ago, I went through a divorce and the
bank they would personally call me up and say, are
you well, do you need help with this? You know,
do you want to put it in a high yield?
They're like friends.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
That's amazing. There's nothing better than to hear those stories
and I do get the privilege of hearing them over
and over again. So I really feel proud of the
work that this bank does, so thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And what is the web address for Webster.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Bank www dot websterbank dot com. You know, at the
end of the day, Webster Bank is a values based company.
We really care deeply and are committed to our core values.
It shows up in how we do business every day
and how we show up in the community.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Speaking with Marissa Widner, chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Webster Bank,
thank you so much for webster support of both the
tournament and Bertie's for charity.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Thank you, Allison
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. My
guest this morning is Marissa Widner, chief Corporate Responsibility Officer
at Webster Bank. Good morning, Marissa.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning Alison. Thanks for having me on today.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
My pleasure. We are here to talk about Birdie's for Charity.
It's my first rodeo this year and I'm going to
learn from the best. I'm going to learn all about
it from you.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Great, I'm happy to tell you all about it.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
So you've been a sponsor for many, many, many years
of the tournament and the Birdie's for Charity program.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yes, we've been involved for over twenty years. We're one
of the founding sponsors of the tournament and certainly have
been dedicated to supporting Bertie's for Charity for many years.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
So when it comes to Bertie's for Charity, I understand
that the charity can receive a fifteen percent bonus.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Sure. So, since two thousand and four, Bertie's for Charity
has really built name recognition throughout the community associated with
the Travelers Tournament. The Birdi's for Charity program provides all
five oh one c three organizations throughout the region a
platform that utilizes the excitement around this amazing tournament to
(01:08):
help raise awareness and funds to support their mission. So
organizations can simply solicit donations through that platform, they'll receive
one hundred percent of what they raised and a bonus
for every dollar raised. And that's where Webster comes in
is we provide the funding for the bonus dollars. The
Birdie's for Charity program, you know, also provides an opportunity
(01:32):
for local nonprofits to share their stories through partnerships like
your radio show.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, it's absolutely amazing that you're going to do a
fifteen percent bonus. That's very generous of Webster Bank.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It's been remarkable year over year the program has grown.
In fact, last year they had one hundred and seventy
five different charities from around the region participate in the program,
and that was from one hundred and forty seven the
year prior, so you know, we saw a twenty percent
increase year over year. It's really been growing, and the
(02:08):
enthusiasm and the energy around it is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Do you know how many charities we have this year?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I don't know how many we have this year because
they have the opportunity to sign up and I don't
think they've hit the cutoff date for all of the
sign ups, but I know last year we had one
hundred and seventy five, so it'll be exciting to see
how many come through this year.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Absolutely, Actually, the deadline for charities to register for the
program is May thirtieth, and what you need to do
if you're listening is go to Travelers Championship dot com
slash Birdie's for charity. Again. If you go to Travelers
Championship dot com, you can see everything there and you
could also register it to be one of the charities.
(02:47):
Why did Webster Bank decide to become involved with something
like this?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So Webster we're very much a proud Connecticut based company
and this is an opportunity for us to give back
to so many nonprofits through the fundraising efforts of this tournament.
Like I said, last year, over one hundred and seventy
five nonprofits participated and we were able to be a
part of that. We're dedicated to corporate responsibility. It's integral
(03:14):
to the way that we do business. As a matter
of fact, this year we're celebrating our ninety year history
and giving back to the communities has been at our
core for all ninety years, from community support, volunteerism, and
financial investments, to working with community partners and awarding grants
to nonprofit organizations. They assist the most vulnerable populations the
(03:38):
nonprofits that we're working with, and we're really proud of
all of the work that we do to help the
needs of our communities in all of these different ways.
We really do believe it's important for Webster to continue
to support organizations that provide these critical services. We continue
to grow over the years, and so does our philanthropic impact.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
And when you say all of these amazing things happening
with the charities, how does it affect you personally?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Personally, I have the best stub on this planet, in
my opinion. I get to really see us putting our
dollars to good work into the community, seeing the benefits
that these community partners receive as a result, which really
end up benefiting all of the individuals in our communities
who need it most. There's nothing more gratifying than to
(04:25):
see the work that you put in turn into a result,
creating an impact that can change lives and alter the
shape of our community.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I can honestly say this happened to me A couple
of years ago, I went through a divorce and the
bank they would personally call me up and say, are
you well, do you need help with this? You know,
do you want to put it in a high yield?
They're like friends.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
That's amazing. There's nothing better than to hear those stories
and I do get the privilege of hearing them over
and over again. So I really feel proud of the
work that this bank does, so thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
And what is the web address for Webster.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Bank www dot websterbank dot com. You know, at the
end of the day, Webster Bank is a values based company.
We really care deeply and are committed to our core values.
It shows up in how we do business every day
and how we show up in the community.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Speaking with Marissa Widner, chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Webster Bank,
thank you so much for webster support of both the
tournament and Bertie's for charity.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Thank you, Allison
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