Metro Credit Union President and CEO Robert Cashman speaking with Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo’s parents Elvira and Giuseppe Cataldo at a fundraiser in Ersilia’s honor. Photo courtesy of Metro Credit Union
Employees of Chelsea-based Metro Credit Union experienced firsthand the effects of domestic violence last December. Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo had worked at the credit union for 20 years when she was fatally shot in front of her parents’ house in Everett. Her estranged husband has been charged with her murder.
Cataldo Matarazzo’s death was difficult for Metro employees, said Charlene Bauer, Metro Credit Union’s senior vice president of outreach, advocacy and chief development officer. Cataldo Matarazzo worked in operations, she said, and her duties often kept her walking throughout the building, coming in contact with all employees. Bauer described her as a beloved colleague with a caring, loving and positive presence.
To coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness month, Metro Credit Union held an event on Oct. 3 to memorialize Cataldo Matarazzo and raise money for domestic violence organizations. Called “Still She Rises,” the event raised $56,000 for HarborCOV in Chelsea and Portal to Hope in Everett, as well as for the Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo Memorial Fund by Everett Kiwanis, a foundation set up for the Cataldo Matarazzo family to support children, provide scholarships and help domestic violence survivors.
Financial Abuse Ties Banking to Domestic Violence
A tactic used to control relationships, financial abuse is often the answer to the question of why people remain in domestic violence situations. Some Massachusetts banks and credit unions have taken steps to understand financial abuse and support customers experiencing domestic violence. Read more.
“We accomplished our goal of celebrating Ersilia’s life while raising awareness about domestic violence,” Bauer said. “We’re saddened by the loss of Ersilia, and being able to memorialize her in this manner honored her legacy.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley was the event’s keynote speaker. She told the audience that spreading awareness about domestic violence is “our charge and our sacred task, to take these stories out of the shadows, to put them on full display, because sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
“That is why it is so important that we are here tonight, raising funds for organizations that are doing the work in our communities to not only support people who are suffering at the hands of a loved one, but to put an end to the suffering altogether,” Pressley said.
