05/01/2019

Citizens Bank Awards Eight ‘Small Business Community Champions’ for Strengthening Local Economies and Communities

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Citizens Bank today announced its Small Business Community Champion Award winners in Greater Boston, Greater Detroit, Greater Philadelphia and Greater Pittsburgh. A $20,000 prize and a $10,000 prize were awarded in each market to small business owners who demonstrated how investing in their businesses strengthens both their business growth and the community. 

The 2019 Citizens Bank Small Business Community Champion Award winners and their proposed initiatives are:

  • Detroit City Youth Opportunities Magazine, LLC (Detroit, MI), an organization that provides journalism opportunities for Detroit’s youths, which plans to create a mobile podcast studio and a limited edition magazine to educate teens on careers in journalism.
  • Gamify, Inc. (West Newton, MA), a technology company leveraging gamification to help doctors monitor patients’ concussion recovery, which plans to provide free pre-injury baseline screening for Boston area youth athletics programs.
  • Glorious Works Publishing (Upper Darby, PA), a publisher that helps aspiring authors to write, design and publish their work, which plans to host free writing workshops and discounted publishing services for women and children in lower income communities.
  • Hickory Veterinary Hospital (Plymouth Meeting, PA), a veterinary hospital that has been serving the Greater Philadelphia community for over 63 years, which plans to create a fund to help lower-income families pay for the care for their critically sick or injured pets.
  • InnoPsych, Inc. (Watertown, MA), a mental health specialist focused on educating and advocating for emotional wellness in historically underserved communities, which plans to offer free webinars, online resources and office hours, as well as an annual program to raise awareness about wellness organizations and careers in mental health.
  • Not Sorry Apparel (Detroit, MI), an eco-friendly apparel company with a mission to empower people to be true to who they are, which plans to provide internships and host workshops to educate the community on sustainability and reducing pollution.
  • Revival Chili, LLC (Pittsburgh, PA), a restaurant group built around the mission to hire those in need of work who face barriers to employment, which plans to launch a bi-monthly program that provides education, including life skills and professional development, to its employees and the surrounding community.
  • Yummyholic (Pittsburgh, PA), a bakery that uses cookie art to show that your passion can inspire service, which plans to offer therapeutic baking sessions, cookie decorating classes and other events that bring the community together.

“Small business growth helps local economies thrive, but the impact a small business has on its community is so much greater than that – they serve as employers, service providers, educators, advocates and good citizens,” said Jack Murphy, president of Citizens Bank Business Banking. “We’re proud to support this year’s winners as they work towards bettering their communities and addressing critical needs through a diverse set of initiatives."

This is the second annual Citizens Bank Small Business Community Champion Award, which was created to celebrate the impact of small businesses on the communities they serve. For more information, please visit https://www.citizensbank.com/BusinessChampion. 

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $161.3 billion in assets as of March 31, 2019. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 2,900 ATMs and approximately 1,100 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services, including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest rate products, and asset finance. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.