‘They have never surprised us like this:’ MGM Springfield gives back to local organizations

November 13, 2023

By Daniel SantiagoPhotojournalist: Erik Rosario and Abigail Murillo Villacorta


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - MGM Springfield surprised three non-profit organizations with $5,000 each on Monday as part of their “season of giving kickoff” effort.


MGM Springfield kicked off their holiday season and they are doing it in a big way.


“We are starting the holidays a little bit early today,” said Chris Kelley. “We are delivering $15,000 to different community groups. It’s just a way for our team at MGM Springfield to say thank you.”


Chris Kelley, the president of MGM Springfield and his team put on their best holiday cheer on Monday and made three stops around western Massachusetts to gift $5,000 to different organizations.


First stop was at Roca, an organization working to curb urban violence in western Massachusetts. Second stop was at Link to Libraries, an organization working to distribute books to children and schools in areas of need.


Then the last stop was at the Boys and Girls Club Family Center in Springfield, where they engage with the community and host programs that impact kids and families in need of resources.

All three stops filled with surprise, balloons, and a whole lot of holiday spirit.


“Thank you so much,” said Laurie Flynn. “I don’t usually get surprised, so this is amazing.”

Laurie Flynn, the President and COO of Link to Libraries, told Western Mass News what this means to her.


“They have never surprised us like this,” expressed Flynn. “A check for $5,000 means so much to this organization. We pay about $3 for each book that we purchase for young kids. So, you can imagine how many books that will buy.”


Like her, Solomon Baymon, the director of Roca here in western Massachusetts, told us what they’ll be able to do with the $5,000.


“It could do a lot,” noted Baymon. “We serve over 200 youth in the city of Springfield and the western Mass. area alone. From employment to helping them get identification, to different things like that, and food, and meals. So, overall is just a blessing to have something to assist these young people with their daily lives.”


View Video Segment on Western Mass News

Share:

Recent Posts

A boy and a girl are laying on the floor reading a book.
July 15, 2025
We asked our expert Laurie Flynn, President and CEO of Link to Libraries, to help us come up with some creative ways to make reading fun!
June 25, 2025
Link to Libraries, a non-profit organization that provides millions of books to children received a generous donation from Balise Toyota in West Springfield.
April 20, 2025
(Western Mass News) Getting Answers: April 20 Dave Madsen, thank you for having us to talk about all things Link to Libraries, including our upcoming gala and the launch of the Stephen Kaplan & Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund! What a treat to have a longer format interview and to be able to cover so much! We are so grateful to you and to our media sponsor Western Mass News. (Note to viewers - you can fast forward through what would have been the ad space to see the full interview!) View Video on Western Mass News
Show More
A boy and a girl are laying on the floor reading a book.
July 15, 2025
We asked our expert Laurie Flynn, President and CEO of Link to Libraries, to help us come up with some creative ways to make reading fun!
June 25, 2025
Link to Libraries, a non-profit organization that provides millions of books to children received a generous donation from Balise Toyota in West Springfield.
April 20, 2025
(Western Mass News) Getting Answers: April 20 Dave Madsen, thank you for having us to talk about all things Link to Libraries, including our upcoming gala and the launch of the Stephen Kaplan & Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund! What a treat to have a longer format interview and to be able to cover so much! We are so grateful to you and to our media sponsor Western Mass News. (Note to viewers - you can fast forward through what would have been the ad space to see the full interview!) View Video on Western Mass News
April 9, 2025
SPRINGFIELD, MA – Wednesday, April 9, 2025 – Link to Libraries announced today that they will be launching the “Stephen Kaplan and Susan Jaye-Kaplan Community Legacy Fund” at their upcoming gala on Thursday, May 8th at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This fund is being established as a tribute to Link to Libraries founder Susan Jaye-Kaplan and to her husband, Steve, who passed away in January after a long battle with cancer. Monies raised will be used to enable Link to Libraries to provide community partners with books for children and families in need. “Sue Kaplan founded Link to Libraries in 2008, with Steve cheering her on and supporting Link to Libraries’ mission in every way” said Laurie Flynn, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Known throughout the community for their generous hearts and dedication to bettering the lives of those in need, this feels like the appropriate time to honor them both by establishing a fund that will enable Link to Libraries to better support other local nonprofits who are focused on giving children a chance at brighter futures. Steve’s passing was a terrible loss to our Link to Libraries family, to the Western Massachusetts community and to all who knew and loved him. We hope that this tribute will be a living reminder of Sue and Steve’s tireless work and passion for improving the lives of others.” Flynn continued, “While most of Link to Libraries work is done through underserved elementary schools, we frequently receive requests from other local nonprofits for book donations to support their own work with children and families in need. This fund will enable us to say ‘yes’ to many more of those requests in the future.” The Link to Libraries biennial gala will take place on Thursday, May 8th at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The event will be held from 6:00-9:00pm and will include cocktails, dinner and an auction. Tickets can be purchased at linktolibraries.org . All proceeds will be used to directly support Link to Libraries’ programming.
By Amy Anderlonis March 19, 2025
Western Mass News Cares partnered with Link to Libraries to do a commercial on the important work we do to support childhood literacy and ways for the community to get involved. Books open doors to infinite possibilities and we are so grateful to have Western Mass News spread the word about Link to Libraries. View the commercial below.
By Laurie Flynn March 10, 2025
The Western Mass News crew visited Link to Libraries and helped us label hundreds of books for children in need. Thank you, Western Mass News, for supporting childhood literacy and for being the media partner of Link to Libraries! Watch the video segment below.
More Posts