10/07/2010

Kids First, Inc. named Rhode Island Champion in Action in healthy communities category

Nonprofit agency receives unrestricted $25,000 grant, PR and volunteer support

Providence, R.I. (October 8, 2010) -  Earlier today, Citizens Bank and NBC 10 named Kids First, Inc. in Providence as their 2010 fourth quarter Champion in Action® in the healthy communities category. Kids First will receive a $25,000 unrestricted grant, media coverage and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its outstanding work.

 

The grant will be used to provide training and professional development, technical assistance and educational programs throughout Rhode Island.

 

“Citizens Bank is pleased to name Kids First as the newest Champion in Action in the healthy communities category,” said Ned Handy, President, Citizens Bank, Rhode Island. “This award will help Kids First continue to provide the essential elements and tools needed to advocate for healthy eating and encourage daily physical activity.”

 

“NBC 10 is proud to recognize Kids First as both an innovator as well as a motivator for healthy environments and to support wellness. This organization has become a statewide leader by providing nutrition expertise to benefit healthy outcomes for all Rhode Island citizens and we are pleased to name it a Champion in Action,” said Lisa Churchville, President and General Manager of NBC 10.

 

Launched in 2002, Champions in Action is a joint initiative of Citizens Bank and NBC 10 to recognize and support nonprofit organizations for their contributions to Rhode Island communities. A new Champion in Action is selected each quarter among a range of social service topics.

 

Kids First provides a wide-array of programs including:

  • The Rhode Island Farm to School project that collaborates with state agencies, schools and local farms to provide locally grown food to all 36 school districts;
  • Teams of chefs nutritionists and health professional that deliver educational programs and workshops statewide;
  • Its Healthy Eating on a Budget program where parents and caregivers learn basic nutrition facts for inexpensive meal preparation.

 

As a Champion in Action, Kids First will receive:

  • A $25,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from Citizens Bank.
  • Media coverage from NBC 10, including public service announcements and television profiles.
  • Volunteer support from Citizens and NBC 10 employees.
  • Extensive public relations support.
  • Promotional support, highlighting the Champion in Action in all Citizens Bank branches and on its ATMs.
  • Exposure on both Citizens Bank and NBC 10 Web sites.

 

“It is a tremendous honor for our organization to be selected as a Champion in Action,” said Dorothy Brayley, Executive Director of Kids First, Inc. “Kids First is a trusted and valuable resource in every Rhode Island community, assisting each to build its own thriving culture of wellness.”

 

Applications for the second quarter 2011 Champion in Action in the food and nutrition category are due Friday, January 7th at 5 p.m. and the winner will be announced in April 2011. Online applications can be obtained at www.citizensbank.com/community/champions.

 

Prior Rhode Island Champions in Action to date include: Bayside Family Healthcare in North Kingstown, the House of Hope in Warwick, The Providence Black Repertory Company in Providence, the Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corporation 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, The Institute for the Study and Practice for Nonviolence in Providence, Church Community Housing Corporation in Newport, Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island in Providence, Youth in Action in Providence, Molar Express in Cranston, Everett Dance Theatre in Providence, Olneyville Housing Corporation in Providence, the ASPIRE Program at the RI Foster Parents Association in East Providence, the Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center in Warwick, Amos House in Providence, Connecting for Children and Families in Woonsocket and Southside Community Land Trust in Providence.

 

To learn more about how to contribute through donations or volunteerism to Kids First call 401-751-4503.

 

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 188 ATMs in Rhode Island.

 

RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $144 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 NBC 10

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.