Springfield, MA – Liberty Bank and Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services are proud to announce a $10,000 investment from the Liberty Bank Foundation to support the organization’s transformative Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Tour—the longest-running initiative of its kind in the Northeast.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to building Dr. King’s Beloved Community: a just, compassionate region where all people are embraced and empowered to thrive holistically with dignity, strength, and equitable access to opportunity. The HBCU Tour, led by local community leaders who are themselves alumni, offers students and families a powerful, multi-generational experience rooted in education, empowerment, and legacy.

“At Liberty Bank, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn and grow,” said Liberty Bank President and CEO David W. Glidden. “This $10,000 grant will help families prepare for higher education, and this includes helping with financial literacy. Supporting Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services, an organization that fosters inclusion, opportunity and long-term success, is just one way that we are giving back to our community.”

The HBCU Tour, a cornerstone of MLKFS’ yearlong HBCU Experience, offers a powerful platform for students and families to explore journeys to college together. Through a series of dynamic workshops, the program equips scholars and their caregivers with critical tools and resources to navigate the college admissions process, build financial literacy, and strengthen intergenerational support. By intentionally including families, the initiative fosters a sense of shared purpose.

“This investment from Liberty Bank Foundation is more than financial support—it’s a commitment to shaping the next generation of changemakers,” said Shannon M. Rudder, MBA, President & CEO of Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services. “Together, we are extending the legacy of HBCUs as institutions that both educate and empower entire societies.”

About Liberty Bank

Established in 1825, Liberty Bank has $8.4 billion in assets, 54 retail banking offices across Connecticut and Massachusetts. As a full-service financial institution, Liberty offers consumer and commercial banking, cash management, home mortgages, business loans, insurance and investment services. Named ‘Top Workplace’ by the Hartford Courant every year since 2012; designated a 2021, 2022 and 2023 Best-In-State Bank in Connecticut by Forbes Magazine; and received J.D. Power’s award for Best Retail Banking Customer Satisfaction in the New York Tri-State Region in 2025.

About MLKFS

Since 1977, the mission of Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services, Inc. has been to nurture and develop the skills, opportunities, and spirit of families in Greater Springfield and the surrounding communities. MLKFS fully embraces the vision of the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Beloved Community. As a multicultural and multiservice agency dedicated to being “Keepers of the Dream”, MLKFS nurtures and empowers the aspirations of individuals, families and youth to achieve new realities of peace, social and economic justice, self-determination, self-actualization, and self-sufficiency. MLKFS serves as a beacon for the community, offering Out of School Time programming, literacy promotion, college readiness, HBCU Experience, youth mental health, family supports, public health and teen leadership, community engagement initiatives, and cultural experiences through art, dance, and sports. The organization also operates the fourth largest food pantry in Western Massachusetts.