07/25/2013
The Clay Studio named Champion in Action for arts and culture
Citizens Bank, NBC10, Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com provide $35,000 grant, PR and volunteer support
PHILADELPHIA (July 25, 2013) – Earlier today, Citizens Bank, NBC10, the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com named The Clay Studio a 2013 Champion in Action® in the category of arts and culture. The organization receives a $35,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation along with extensive media coverage and promotional and volunteer support.
The award honors The Clay Studio for its service to greater Philadelphia’s diverse community through artist residencies, gallery and exhibition programs, studio space, and school-based and other programs, including the Claymobile Outreach Program. The Claymobile is an innovative approach to increasing community access to arts education. Since many of Philadelphia’s low-income and under-served communities lack opportunities to engage in the arts, the Claymobile travels directly to them and provides arts education at the neighborhood level.
“Citizens Bank has chosen to recognize The Clay Studio as the newest Champion in Action for its work in bringing arts outreach programs to Philadelphia’s underserved communities,” said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, President, Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. “By providing access to art education, the Claymobile is enriching the lives of participants who might not be exposed to the arts. We applaud the organization for its efforts and see this as a best practice that can be replicated by other organizations in Philadelphia and across the country.”
Champions in Action is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s program designed to enhance quality of life and economic vitality in local communities. It provides support for small nonprofit organizations to recognize their contributions throughout the five-county Philadelphia area. To date, the program has awarded 35 nonprofits more than $900,000 in grants and promotional support in Philadelphia.
“NBC10 is pleased to let the community know about the important role The Clay Studio plays in our city,” said NBC10 President and General Manager Eric Lerner. “In addition to providing access to the arts to those who may not have had these opportunities, it also provides a creative outlet for children and families.”
“Interstate General Media (IGM) is proud to recognize and honor The Clay Studio, which has evolved into one of Philadelphia’s premier centers for supporting artists,” said Bob Hall, CEO and Publisher of IGM, parent company of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com. “The Clay Studio is worthy of this Champion in Action award so it can continue to make a difference in the world through exciting and innovative educational programming."
“We are thrilled to be the 2013 Champion in Action for arts and culture and to be recognized along with the past Champions in Action for making a positive impact in the Greater Philadelphia region,” said Christopher R. Taylor, President, Clay Studio. “.“The incredible support from the Champions in Action partners will allow us to strengthen our Claymobile Outreach Program. It will also provide scholarships to kids and increase the visibility of all of The Clay Studio’s arts and educational programs.”
Taylor was surprised with the award today during NBC10 News at 11 a.m. As a Champion in Action, the organization receives the following over the next six months:
- A $35,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Bank Foundation;
- The opportunity for the organization’s executive director to participate in a “president-to-president mentorship with Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware;
- News coverage and public service announcements from NBC10;
- Volunteer support from Citizens Bank, NBC10, the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com;
- Extensive public relations support;
- Promotional support in all Citizens Bank branch DCN screens and on its ATMs;
- Exposure on Citizens Bank, NBC10, Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com websites.
To become a Champion in Action, nonprofit organizations must meet selection criteria and apply for the award. For more information about the Champions in Action program, visit www.citizensbank.com/community
To learn more about how to contribute to The Clay Studio through donations or volunteerism, visit www.theclaystudio.org
Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities is part of the bank’s broader Citizens Helping Citizens program addressing five key areas: hunger, housing, economic development, financial education and volunteerism. Get more information about Citizens Bank’s community initiatives online.
About Citizens Helping Citizens
Grounded in the belief that a good bank gives back to its community and to the people who live there, Citizens Helping Citizens is a program embracing the community goals of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. – the commercial bank holding company serving consumer and small business customers as Citizens Bank and Charter One and commercial banking customers as RBS Citizens. The Citizens Helping Citizens program comprises five key initiatives supported directly by RBSCFG and also by its nonprofit charitable foundations, the Citizens Charitable Foundation, the Citizens Bank Foundation and the Charter One Foundation: Citizens Helping Citizens Fight Hunger, Citizens Helping Citizens Provide Shelter, Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities (economic development), Citizens Helping Citizens Teach Money Management (financial education) and Citizens Helping Citizens Give (volunteerism and colleague charitable donations). Across all of these initiatives, Citizens Helping Citizens strives to enhance quality of life and economic vitality in local communities.
About Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania
Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania is a state-chartered bank with dual headquarters in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. It has 375 branches and 1,001 ATMs throughout Pennsylvania. It also operates 12 retail. branches and 95 ATMs in southern New Jersey, and a commercial loan office and 15 ATMs in Virginia. It is a subsidiary of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $126 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I.
RBS Citizens Financial Group through its subsidiaries has approximately 1,400 branches, more than 3,600 ATMs and nearly 19,000 colleagues. Its two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. RBSCFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. RBSCFG is owned by RBS (the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). RBSCFG’s website is citizensbank.com.
About NBC10 Philadelphia
Owned by NBCUniversal, NBC10 Philadelphia / WCAU has been delivering local news, information, and entertainment to the Delaware Valley for over 60 years, serving nearly six million viewers throughout Greater Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, southern New Jersey and Delaware. Viewers turn to NBC10 for the most up-to-date news and breaking news stories of the day, weather, sports and consumer headlines across a variety of platforms, including online at nbc10.com and via mobile and social channels. Cozi TV, the station’s digital network, offers a full schedule of America’s most beloved and iconic television series, hit movies and original programming. COZI TV can be seen locally on Comcast 248, Verizon 460 and over-the-air at 10.2. Other properties of NBC10 include StudioTEN Creative Group, the station’s full-service production facility.
About Interstate General Media
Interstate General Media LLC is the parent company of Philadelphia Media Network (PMN), publisher of Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Daily News Weekend. With its multiple brand platforms and integrated print and digital products, PMN is the region’s largest media network and the industry’s technological leader and innovator. Philadelphia Media Network publications reach an average weekly audience of 1.9 million adults – more than the combination of the three early evening television news shows or the combination of those radio stations ranked in the top five during morning drive-time programming.
