the Press Release

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2012
Contacts: Amie Kershaw
Vice President
Citizens Bank
401.456.7635
Vic Vetters
Vice President/GM
WJAR-TV/NBC 10
401.455.9100
Community Boating Center named Champion in Action
in youth initiatives category
Nonprofit agency receives unrestricted $35,000 grant, PR and volunteer support
PROVIDENCE, R.I. –Citizens Bank and NBC 10 has named Community Boating Center in
Providence the first 2012 Champion in Action® in the category of youth initiatives. Community
Boating Center will receive a $35,000 unrestricted grant, media coverage, and extensive
promotional and volunteer support for its outstanding work.
The boating center will use the grant to grow its after-school and full-day summer camp sessions,
provide youth with “Sailorship” scholarships and build initiatives that expand water-based activities
as an alternative to static out-of-school activities.
“Citizens Bank is pleased to name Community Boating Center the newest Champion in Action in
the youth initiative category,” said Ned Handy, President, Citizens Bank, Rhode Island and
Connecticut. “This award will help Community Boating Center continue to offer dynamic
educational programs linking youth to sailing, boating and the environment.”
“NBC is proud to recognize Community Boating Center for its programs that promote building selfesteem and teamwork, and advance environmental awareness,” said Vic Vetters, Vice President
and General Manager of NBC 10. “Through its initiatives, youth develop lifelong problem-solving,
critical-thinking, and leadership skills. 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.
The year 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the program, which has awarded nearly $1 million in
grants and promotional support to 38 nonprofits in Rhode Island.
Community Boating Center provides a wide array of educational programs, including:
• Nationally recognized STEM initiative that teaches skills associated with science,
technology, engineering and math;
• Treasure Tracker GPS geocaching that uses the power of GPS technology to trace local
history and learn navigation skills.
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Champions in Action
Page 2
As a Champion in Action, Community Boating Center will receive:
• A $35,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Charitable Foundation;
• Media coverage from NBC 10, including public service announcements and television
profiles over the course of six months;
• Volunteer support from Citizens and NBC 10 colleagues;
• The opportunity for the organization’s executive director to participate in a “president-topresident” mentorship with Citizens Bank of Rhode Island and Connecticut President
Ned Handy;
• Extensive public relations support;
• Promotional support highlighting the Champion in Action in all Citizens Bank branch DCN
screens and on its ATMs;
• Exposure on both Citizens Bank and NBC 10 websites.
“It is a tremendous honor for our organization to be selected as a Champion in Action,” said John
O’Flaherty, Executive Director of Community Boating Center. “The award will provide youth the
opportunity to learn respect for the wind, the water, and each other while experiencing Rhode
Island’s greatest resource, Narragansett Bay.”
Applications for the second 2012 Champion in Action in the neighborhood revitalization category
are due Friday, March 2, at 5 p.m. The winner will be announced in July. Eligible nonprofits should
apply online at www.citizensbank.com/community/champions.
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 of 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
Venture Partners Rhode Island in Providence, Farm Fresh Rhode Island, in Pawtucket, SWAP in
Providence, and Lucy’s Hearth in Middletown.
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 to Community Boating Center through donations or volunteerism, call
401.454.7245.
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Champions in Action
Page 3
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 83 branches and 200 ATMs in Rhode Island.
RBS Citizens, N.A., is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $131 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 20,000 colleagues. Its two
bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12state 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.
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.
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