Broadview Brings Hospitality to Families — and an Updated Mindset to Banking
August 27, 2026
A sandwich delivered to the room. A cup of coffee offered at just the right moment. Providing a snack, a toy, or a simple check-in lets a parent know someone is thinking about them during an incredibly difficult time.
Delivering that peace is the idea behind the Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Carts. The “comfort carts,” as they’re known, bring snacks, drinks, books, toys, and other leisure items directly to pediatric patients and their families.
That support made a real difference to Marisa Clifford, whose son was hospitalized earlier this year at the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center.
“The cart was nice because they walk around with little sandwiches and snacks, so you don’t have to go very far,” said Clifford. It’s a simple service, but one with meaningful impact. For cart sponsor Broadview Federal Credit Union, delivering small acts of kindness represents something much bigger: a belief that hospitality matters during difficult times, while helping the community, and in the way an organization serves people every day.
Building a Partnership That Delivers Comfort
Broadview has expanded its partnership with Ronald McDonald House across upstate New York. The credit union now supports comfort carts in Albany, Buffalo, and Syracuse hospitals.
“The comfort cart provides an opportunity to extend hospitality to families with children who are in-patient,” said Broadview Chief Community Officer Kathy Lanni. “For someone to come by with a sandwich or a cup of coffee and simply ask how you’re doing, it’s such a lift. It reflects Broadview’s core values in a very human way.” 
Broadview donated $75,000 earlier this year to finance the program but to Ronald McDonald House, Broadview’s involvement is much deeper than dollars.
“This is a partnership,” said Ronald McDonald House Albany CEO Kimmy Venter. “It’s not just about donating to fund a program or putting their name on the cart and letting it run around. There’s a lot of human investment in the work we do, and we know the team at Broadview really cares about helping us help families.”
A Small Cart with a Big Impact
The Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Carts are powered by volunteers, including Broadview employees, who bring items and compassion to every room they visit.
“It might be a small cart in the scheme of large programs,” said Don Emery of Ronald McDonald House Albany, “but the impact of keeping families close to their child, literally in their room, while we go room to room, is one of the best things we do.”
These efforts rely heavily on volunteers, and Broadview has embraced a hands-on role as part of the partnership.
“I had the opportunity to go around on the cart to experience it first-hand, and it was really, really special,” Lanni said. “There’s always room for more volunteers. You can never have enough.”
Hospitality is Central to Broadview’s Strategy
Traditionally, hospitality is associated with travel and entertainment — industries built around creating welcoming, thoughtful, and memorable experiences. Broadview brings that same mindset to banking, with a focus on warmth, ease, empathy, and anticipation of people’s needs, making the credit union an outlier in the world of financial services.
That shift is evident in the leaders’ Broadview has chosen to bring aboard.
Over the past two years, Broadview intentionally recruited senior executives from outside traditional banking. It hired Chief Experience Officer Meredith Estrada from SPHERE and The Ritz-Carlton, Senior Vice President of Hospitality Rebecca Wood from Six Flags Great Escape, Chief Information Officer Josh Klemm from the New York State Thruway Authority, and Chief Legal Officer Lisa Harris from Meta.
These are leaders who built their careers in environments where experience, service, innovation, and hospitality are paramount. Their backgrounds are not rooted in banking, and according to Broadview CEO Michael Castellana, that’s the point.
“Great banking today isn’t just about financial expertise; it’s about understanding people,” said Castellana. “Leaders from experience-driven organizations know how to listen, anticipate needs, and build trust. Those skills are essential to serving our members well.”
In hospitals, hospitality can mean the difference between feeling alone and feeling supported. In banking, it can mean the difference between a transaction and a relationship. For Broadview, those ideas are one and the same.
