10/05/2011

Lucy's Hearth named Champion in Action in homelessness category

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

October 5, 2011

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Citizens Bank and NBC 10 named Lucy’s Hearth as the fourth quarter Champion in Action® for homelessness. Lucy’s Hearth will receive a $25,000 unrestricted grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its outstanding work.

Lucy’s Hearth will use the grant to continue to provide emergency shelter for homeless women and their children while assisting residents in gaining life skills to foster independence.

“Citizens Bank is pleased to name Lucy’s Hearth as the newest Champion in Action for homelessness,” said Ned Handy, president, Citizens Bank, Rhode Island and Connecticut. “Lucy’s Hearth has been providing critical homeless and social services for more than 27 years in Newport County. We are pleased that this award will help them to continue to deliver these high-quality services.”

“NBC 10 is proud to recognize Lucy’s Hearth for its efforts to offer numerous programs that lead to financial and housing independence for its residents,” said Vic Vetters, vice president and general manager of NBC 10. “Its unique collaboration with the homeless-provider and prevention network within Newport County have maximized the ways Lucy’s Hearth helps residents in crisis or at risk. We are pleased to name it a Champion in Action.”

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 twice a year based on specific social service topics.

Lucy’s Hearth provides a wide array of programs, including:

  • Emergency shelter
  • Transitional and permanent housing
  • GED training and certifications
  • Parenting and life skills classes
  • Financial literacy training
  • On-site mental health treatment for women and children residing at the shelter

 

As a Champion in Action, Lucy’s Hearth 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 the Citizens Bank and NBC 10 websites

 

"To be recognized as the Citizens and NBC 10 Champions in Action for homeless services is an honor,” said Jennifer Barrera, program director of Lucy's Hearth. “It’s a true testament to the hard work of our staff, board of directors, friends of Lucy's Hearth and volunteers. The support we will receive through the Champions in Action award will be invaluable.”

Prior Rhode Island Champions in Action 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, Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, Kids First in Providence, Social Ventures Partners Rhode Island, Farm Fresh Rhode Island in Pawtucket, and SWAP Inc. in Providence.

For more information about the Citizens Bank / NBC 10 Champions in Action program, visit www.citizensbank.com/community/champions or www.turnto10.com.

To learn more about how to contribute through donations or volunteerism to Lucy’s Hearth, call 401-847-2021.

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 198 ATMs in Rhode Island.

RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $132 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and, through its subsidiaries, has more than 1,500 branches, approximately 3,900 ATMs and more than 20,900 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. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). CFG’s website is citizensbank.com.

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. RTV (MyRetroTV) Channel 10.2 is WJAR’s digital tier station and was first launched in the summer of 2009. RTV showcases classic television shows, as well as locally produced programming from WJAR.

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 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.