MassDevelopment Bond Helps Sunshine Village Buy Building in Agawam
August 13, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Kelsey Schiller, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2011 & 617-694-9695 (cell)
kschiller@massdevelopment.com
Gina Kos, Sunshine Village
gkos@sunshine.us
MassDevelopment has issued a $1,220,000 tax-exempt bond on behalf of Sunshine Village, Inc., a nonprofit human services provider in western Massachusetts. Sunshine Village will use bond proceeds to buy a 17,744-square-foot building located at 588 Silver Street in Agawam. The building will house the organization’s community and life engagement programs for individuals with disabilities, which are currently offered at a leased building in Westfield. CSB Colts, Inc., a subsidiary of Westfield Bank, purchased the bond.
“We’re proud to help nonprofits like Sunshine Village finance important real estate purchases,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss. “Sunshine’s new facility in Agawam will enable the organization to meet its growing demand for services in a larger, permanent space.”
MassDevelopment previously supported Sunshine Village in 2017 with a $2 million tax-exempt bond, which the organization used to make interior and exterior renovations to its Davis and Casey buildings in Chicopee.
Sunshine Village was founded in 1967 and its mission is to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum. In addition to its main campus on Litwin Lane in Chicopee, the organization also offers programs throughout the Pioneer Valley, including Palmer, Springfield, and Westfield. The nationally accredited agency serves more than 500 adults through programs that include community and life engagement services and employment services.
“The purchase of this building will allow Sunshine Village to continue to meet the needs of our community,” said Sunshine Village Executive Director and CEO Gina Kos. “There is a growing number of young people who will benefit from the services offered within the innovative day programs operated by the organization and we are excited about creating partnerships with local businesses and agencies in the greater Agawam area. Together, we will not only create great days – but help everyone shine.”
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2018, MassDevelopment financed or managed 384 projects generating investment of more than $4.1 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,994 jobs and build or rehabilitate 830 housing units.
