Benchmark One Company Fund Golf Tourney Raises $325K for Employees and Families
October 22, 2024
WALTHAM, MA — When John Silva, Jr., the longtime plant operations director at Benchmark at Haverhill Crossings, an assisted living and memory care community in Haverhill, Massachusetts, passed away recently of a heart attack, his family was devastated. In addition to being faced with grieving the loss of their beloved “Bampy,” the bills began piling up, causing additional worry.
Benchmark’s One Company Fund, a grant program for associates and their families in times of financial setback, provided his widow with mortgage assistance for four months so she could focus on grieving instead of paying bills.
“The One Company Fund reached out almost immediately to see how they could help our family cope with such a sudden loss,” Silva’s son, John, said in thanking Benchmark at the recent One Company Fund golf tournament fundraiser. “You have no idea what that meant to us — that the Fund my dad so devoutly supported was there for us in our darkest days.”
According to a press release, the tournament is one of several golf tournaments and fundraisers held throughout each year. This year’s fall tournament raised $325,000 for families like Silva’s. More than 200 participants and nearly a dozen sponsors supported the event, including All-Climate Corporation, Gordon Food Service, IMC Construction, Platinum Builders, and Tilton Electric.
Many of Benchmark’s 6,700 employees make contributions to the fund to support their colleagues. The company’s 66 communities also hold fundraisers throughout the year.
“We are very fortunate to have partners, residents, families and associates who share our commitment to the One Company Fund,” said Tom Grape, Benchmark’s chairman/CEO. “Our associates work hard every day to keep our residents connected to what matters most in their lives. The One Company Fund is one of the many ways we support our caring and compassionate associates when they need it the most.”
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The Benchmark One Company Fund, a 501(c)(3) charity, was created 17 years ago to help Benchmark associates affected by natural disasters, personal tragedies, and other unexpected financial challenges. Benchmark associates who have benefited from the Fund this year include medical issues necessitating emergency surgeries, car accidents, and house fires — things that could happen to anyone.
Benchmark operates 66 independent living, assisted living, memory care, and continuing care communities, with more than 6,700 dedicated associates, throughout the Northeast. The Waltham-based company was founded more than 27 years ago by Tom Grape. Since then, Benchmark has won over 300 hundred local, regional, and national awards for its care, programs, and as a top workplace. Benchmark has been named one of the Top Places to Work for 16 straight years in The Boston Globe’s annual employee-based survey and received repeated recognition in Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Aging Services list. In 2024, Benchmark communities received 62 U.S. News & World Report Best of Senior Living excellence awards based on resident and family feedback.
