Press Release: Eastern Bank Honors Gina Scaramella with Community Advocacy Award

For Nearly 20 Years, She Has Developed Solutions to End Sexual Violence and Effectively Respond to and Support Survivors

The following press release was published by Eastern Bank in late December 2018. 

Eastern Bank, America’s oldest and largest mutual bank, has honored Gina Scaramella, Executive Director of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), with a 2018 Community Advocacy Award. BARCC is the only comprehensive rape crisis center in Greater Boston.

Gina first volunteered in 1989 for BARCC’s hotline and then joined the staff six years later, building BARCC’s medical and legal advocacy programs. Since 2003, she has served as BARCC’s Executive Director, advancing a mission to end sexual violence through healing and social change. Gina has grown BARCC’s capacity to address sexual violence across the lifespan by focusing on individual and policy-level improvement in a range of areas. A national expert in solutions for ending sexual violence, Gina has provided guidance to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and serves on the leadership team for the National Vicarious Trauma Toolkit project of Northeastern University’s Institute of Urban Health Research and Practice.

“Gina Scaramella is driven to do good in the community both personally and professionally with the mission to end sexual violence. She approaches solutions wholeheartedly by empowering survivors to heal, while also leading education and advocacy to create social change and prevent this issue in the first place. We are honored to recognize her long-standing contributions in our community,” said Quincy Miller, Vice Chair and President of Eastern Bank.

This celebration of Eastern’s Community Advocacy Award coincides with the Bank’s 200th anniversary year, when it is focusing its community service, philanthropy, and advocacy efforts toward helping eliminate barriers around issues that disproportionately impact women and girls in health care, education, the workplace, and in society generally, in honor of the Bank’s first customers who were predominantly women.

Gina Scaramella added, “Eastern Bank understands that being a social change agent in the community takes many forms. I’m humbled to accept this award on behalf of the change agents we see every day, from our center staff, to the survivors and families, and our various community partners.”
 

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About Eastern Bank

Founded in 1818 and celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2018, Boston-based Eastern Bank is America’s oldest and largest mutual bank, with $11 billion in assets and over 120 locations serving communities in eastern Massachusetts, southern and coastal New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Eastern provides exceptional access to fairly priced banking, investment and insurance products and services for consumers and businesses of all sizes. Eastern Bank, which includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance, is known for its outspoken advocacy and community support that has exceeded more than $120 million in charitable giving since 1999. An inclusive company, Eastern employs 1,900+ deeply committed professionals who value relationships with their customers, colleagues and communities. Join us for good at www.easternbank.com and follow Eastern on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

About the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center

Since 1973, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) has been a leader in the movement to end sexual violence. BARCC empowers survivors of sexual violence to heal and provides education and advocacy for the social change needed to prevent sexual violence. BARCC provides free, confidential support to survivors of sexual violence and their families and friends. It also works with high schools, colleges, police, organizations, and communities to advocate for change by providing training in how to respond to survivors and create cultures that prevent sexual violence in the first place. For more information, please visit barcc.org. Follow BARCC on social media: Twitter @barcc; Instagram @barccofficial; Facebook /barcc.org.