02/03/2010
Citizens Bank and NBC 10 honor 2009 Rhode Island Champions in Action
Nonprofits received a total of $100,000 in unrestricted grants, PR and volunteer support
Providence, R.I. (February 4, 2010) - Citizens Bank and NBC 10 held a breakfast reception today to honor the 2009 Champions in Action®. The 2009 Champions were: Everett Dance Theatre in Providence, Olneyville Housing Corporation in Providence, the ASPIRE Program at the Rhode Island Foster Parents Association in East Providence, and the Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center in Warwick.
“Citizens Bank is proud to call each of these four agencies a Champion in Action,” said Ned Handy, President, Citizens Bank, Rhode Island. “Each of these remarkable agencies is committed to helping Rhode Island communities by supporting youth initiatives, building strong viable neighborhoods, promoting financial literacy and working to eliminate domestic violence.”
Each quarter, Citizens Bank selects a nonprofit organization in Rhode Island that performs outstanding work in a designated social field as a Champion in Action. Each recipient is awarded $25,000 in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Bank Foundation, as well as media coverage from NBC 10 including public service announcements and television profiles. Further support is provided through colleague volunteers from both Citizens Bank and NBC 10. Public relations support is also offered and includes advertising in Citizens Bank branches and ATMs as well as online promotions at Citizensbank.com and Turnto10.com.
“NBC 10 is honored to congratulate the four Champions in Action for their outstanding service to the community,” said Lisa Churchville, President and General Manager of NBC 10. “We are proud to partner with Citizens Bank in this community outreach program to recognize these organizations that are so vital to our local area.”
The first Champion of 2009 was Everett Dance Theatre. It was recognized for:
- Providing education outreach programs to more than 10,000 youths across the state.
- The creation of the Carriage House School to train youths in writing, theatre and media production.
In April, Olneyville Housing Corporation was named the second quarter Champion in Action. Olneyville Housing Corporation was recognized for:
- Its holistic approach to community building through economic development and resident engagement.
- Its collaborative partnerships to revitalize and stabilize Olneyville and its surrounding neighborhoods.
The ASPIRE Program at RI Foster Parents Association in East Providence was selected as the third quarter Champion. The ASPIRE Program was recognized for its:
- Recognition as a national model that successfully transitions youths to adulthood by supporting them on the path to economic self-sufficiency.
- Programs that encourage ASPIRE youths to continue their education and engage in workforce development training.
The final recipient in 2009 in the community health-care category was the Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center, which was recognized for:
- Providing free services such as advocacy, counseling and educational programs to victims of violence and sexual abuse.
- Expertise in elder abuse education and intervention.
Prior Rhode Island Champions in Action include: Church Community Housing Corporation in Newport; Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island in Providence; Youth in Action in Providence; Molar Express in Cranston; Bayside Family Healthcare in North Kingstown; the House of Hope in Warwick; The Providence Black Repertory Company in Providence; NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley in Woonsocket; McAuley House in Providence; TechACCESS in Warwick; Sojourner House in Providence; Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporation in Pawtucket; Rhode Island Free Clinic in Providence; The Genesis Center in Providence; the Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown; New Urban Arts in Providence; West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation in Providence; Tides Family Services located throughout the state; Community MusicWorks in Providence; the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport; Welcome House of South County in South Kingstown's Peace Dale neighborhood; Franklin Court Independent Living in Bristol; RiverzEdge Arts Project in Woonsocket; Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council in Providence; and The Institute for the Study and Practice for Nonviolence in Providence.
About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 82 branches and 150 ATMs in Rhode Island.
RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $151 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG's 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. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).
About NBC10
WJAR-TV/DT is the most watched television station in the Providence-New Bedford television market and NBC 10 News is Southern New England's leading news station. WJAR was first launched as a radio station in 1922 and then became the market's first television station in 1949. WJAR-TV/DT is owned by Media General, Inc.
About Media General
Media General is a multimedia company operating leading newspapers, television stations and online enterprises primarily in the Southeastern United States. The company's publishing assets include three metropolitan newspapers, The Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Winston-Salem Journal, 22 daily community newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, and more than 150 weekly newspapers and other publications. The company's broadcasting assets currently include 30 network-affiliated television stations that reach more than 33 percent of the television households in the Southeast and more than 10 percent of those in the United States. The company's interactive media assets include more than 75 online enterprises that are associated with its newspapers and television stations. Media General also owns a 33 percent interest in SP Newsprint Company, a manufacturer of recycled newsprint.
