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Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation named Champion in Action® for its work in affordable housing
Organization receives $25,000 grant and other benefitsPHILADELPHIA (January 16, 2008) - Four of the region’s foremost corporate leaders announced today that the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation has been named greater Philadelphia’s latest Champion in Action® in recognition of its work with providing affordable housing. For more than 40 years, PCDC has been an effective advocate and developer of affordable housing projects in Chinatown, including the development of 226 mixed income housing units. As a Champion in Action, PCDC will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support over the next three months.
Champions in Action is an innovative program that provides various forms of support for small nonprofit organizations in recognition of their contributions to communities throughout the five-county Philadelphia area. Since its inception in 2003, including today’s announcement, 16 Champions have been selected.
“Citizens Bank is pleased to join NBC 10, Greater Philadelphia Cares, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News in naming PCDC as our new Champion in Action,” said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, Citizens Bank President and CEO for Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. “PCDC has an impressive track record of using neighborhood planning and development to reclaim and strengthen the community by building mixed-income housing units to meet the needs of Chinatown’s families.”
“NBC 10 is proud to be a partner with the Champions in Action program,” said Dennis Bianchi, President and General Manager of NBC 10. “Strong partnerships and programs such as this allow us to demonstrate our community commitment, and give us the chance to thank local nonprofits, such as PCDC, that do so much good work in communities across our region. For more than 40 years, using various programs and development projects, PCDC has been able to have a powerful and lasting impact on building and preserving a strong neighborhood and viable community.”
“Whether it is providing comprehensive housing counseling programs, embracing best practices for land use or constructing affordable housing, PCDC has a well-deserved reputation of improving Chinatown’s business and residential community, said Carol Dooling, Director of Communications and Partnerships at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com.
“Volunteer support can be helpful to an organization such as PCDC,” said Renee Archawski, Interim Executive Director of Greater Philadelphia Cares. “We are delighted to pledge our support to help PCDC by participating in various neighborhood beautification projects in Chinatown.”
PCDC Executive Director John W. Chin, members of his staff and board of directors were surprised and delighted today when informed that the agency was selected as a Champion in Action. Their meeting was interrupted by Fitzpatrick, Bianchi and others who delivered the news in-person along with balloons and an oversized check for an unrestricted $25,000 grant. NBC 10’s cameras were on hand to capture the moment. It was broadcast live on the morning show “10!” today.
As a Champion in Action, PCDC will receive:
• A $25,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Bank Foundation.
• Media coverage from NBC 10, including public service announcements and profiles.
• Advertising space in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and on Philly.com to promote both the program and the organization.
• Volunteer support from Citizens Bank, NBC 10 and Greater Philadelphia Cares.
• Extensive public relations support.
• Promotional support, highlighting the Champion in Action in all Citizens Bank branches.
• Exposure on the Web sites of Citizens Bank, NBC 10 and Philly.com.
• Consulting and implementation services, provided by Greater Philadelphia Cares, to leverage volunteer support that enhances impact.
In April 2008, another Champion will be announced. The remaining application deadlines and topics for the 2008 Champions in Action program are:
2nd Quarter – Workforce Development, January 18, 2008
3rd Quarter – Youth Programming, April 18, 2008
4th Quarter – Community Health Care, July 18, 2008
Applications for the 2008 Champion in Action program may be obtained online at www.citizensbank.com or www.nbc10.com or by calling the Citizens Bank Public Affairs Department at 267-671-1181.
About Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania
Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania is a state-chartered bank with dual headquarters in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. It has approximately 400 branches and more than 660 ATMs throughout Pennsylvania. It also operates 13 retail branches and 26 ATMs in southern New Jersey and a commercial loan office in Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $159 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I.
Citizens Financial Group, through its subsidiaries, has more than 1,600 branches, 3,300 ATMs and 24,500 employees. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 13-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, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. It is one of the 10 largest commercial banking companies in the United States ranked by assets and deposits. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).
About NBC 10
NBC 10, one of 10 Owned & Operated NBC television stations, is located in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia. Millions of viewers throughout Greater Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley, South Jersey and Delaware tune into NBC 10 everyday for the most up-to-date news, weather, sports, consumer, health and traffic reports. NBC 10’s 4 p.m. news ─ “All That & More” ─ is the only fully interactive news program in the region. Viewers also tune in daily to watch the “10!” show, an upbeat, one-hour lifestyle and entertainment show featuring local, national and internationally known celebrities. The program airs live Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Recognized as the No. 1 Web site (www.nbc10.com ) in the top 50 markets, NBC10.com received the prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award.
About Philadelphia Media Holdings
Philadelphia Media Holdings, LLC, is the leading media company in the Philadelphia region. Privately held and locally owned, PMH is the owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, philly.com, related online products and several community newspapers. With almost one million people reading The Inquirer each day, and 1.6 million on Sundays, The Inquirer is the region’s most-read daily newspaper. Together with the Daily News, the No. 1 tab newspaper in the region, which reaches 500,000 readers each week, and philly.com, the No. 1 Web site in the region, Philadelphia Media Holdings, LLC, reaches almost 2 million people each day.
About Greater Philadelphia Cares
An award-winning non-profit, Greater Philadelphia Cares is committed to empowering individuals to realize their ability to contribute to the community in meaningful ways. By providing a variety of flexible, tangible volunteer opportunities, Greater Philadelphia Cares is continuously enhancing the ability for volunteers to serve the community.
About the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation
PCDC is a grassroots, non-profit, community-based organization whose mission is to preserve, protect and promote Chinatown as a viable ethnic, residential, and business community. Since its establishment in 1966, PCDC has been an advocate for and developer of affordable housing projects in Chinatown, serving the low-income residents of the neighborhood, particularly those with limited-English proficiency. PCDC has built more than 226 units of residential housing and more than 24 commercial units, various neighborhood site improvements, the Chinatown Friendship Gate at 10th and Arch Streets, together with many other important achievements during the years. PCDC’s Web site is www.chinatown-pcdc.org
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