Bankwell

‘It’s Part of Who We Are’: 131 Dogs and Cats Rescued (So Far) through Bankwell’s Pet Adoption Program 

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Since launching a program in 2017 to help area animal rescue organizations, Bankwell has seen 98% of adoptable pets find new homes, officials say. As it approaches its five-year anniversary, the company’s Pet Adoption Project counts 131 pets adopted, according to Executive Vice President and COO Laura Waitz. Many of those pets have found homes with Bankwell’s own employees, including Waitz herself, mom to a mutt named Gracie, she said. (Bankwell’s CEO, Chris Gruseke, owns two rescued dogs himself and keeps dog toys in his office, Waits said.)

“We’d love to see it expand more, we’d love to see even more local support,” Waitz told NewCanaanite.com on a recent afternoon when asked about the Pet Adoption Project. 

“We’d love to keep expanding it and actually come out of pandemic holding more than one event of the year, to focus on it for a couple of months in the year, continually with collections and things to make it more of a focus because it is so important. And with so many people who adopted animals during the pandemic now returning them, it’s become even more important for these organizations.

Animal 411

‘It’s a Way That We Can Give Back’: Bankwell Launches ‘Pet Adoption Program’ for March and April

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Two of Bankwell’s signature community outreach efforts involve showcasing the works of local artists in the gallery of its Elm Street branch and hosting goods collections for needy organizations in the area, such as Open Door Shelter and Inspirica. Starting with a reception at 208 Elm St. on Wednesday evening, Bankwell is combining those initiatives to support another good cause: animal rescue. For its two-month “Pet Adoption Project,” Bankwell is partnering with area rescue groups to spotlight adoptable dogs and cats—see this page on its website—as well as offering incentives for prospective new owners, raising money for animal welfare organizations and featuring the work of a dog- and cat-loving photographer. “If we get one dog a ‘forever’ home, I think that we have succeeded,” said Bankwell Marketing Assistant Lucy French, who helped develop the idea for the project with colleagues Ann Mitrione and Lynne Gomez.