Citizens Bank and necn provide $35,000 funding and promotional support
(L-R): Maggie Baxter, vice president of programming for necn, Monalisa Smith, president and founder of Mothers for Justice and Equality, and Jerry Sargent, president, Citizens Bank, Massachusetts celebrate Mothers for Justice and Equality being named a Champion in Action.
Mothers for Justice and Equality, a non-profit dedicated to fighting violence, has been named a 2017 Champion in Action® in the category of violence prevention. The award, announced jointly by Citizens Bank and necn, includes $35,000 in unrestricted funding and promotional and volunteer support for the organization’s outstanding work.
MJE believes that poverty is the root cause of violence and aims to combat hopelessness, trauma and poverty through programs including You Matter Personal Leadership, youth peer leadership, workforce readiness, financial literacy, violence intervention, Second Chance Restorative Justice, and Healing Through the Arts.
MJE will use the award to help meet the demand for their services, which reach more than 100 youth year-round. They will also expand partnerships to provide financial literacy programming for young men and women preparing for release from the criminal justice system, and Violence Intervention Resource Advocates to support female victims of violence.
Champions in Action is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s program designed to enhance quality of life and economic vitality in local communities. It provides support for small nonprofit organizations to recognize their contributions to communities throughout Massachusetts.
“Mothers for Justice and Equality empowers survivors to become powerful activists in the fight against community violence,” said Jerry Sargent, president, Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. “Citizens is proud to support Mothers for Justice and Equality as our next Champion in Action, as they continue to stand in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones to violence and with those who share a vision of a community in which violence is no longer normal or accepted.”
“necn is proud to have teamed up with Citizens Bank to present this Champion in Action recognition to Mother’s for Justice and Equality”, said Mike St. Peter, Senior Vice President and General Manager of necn. “It is a privilege to lend our support to such powerful community activists whose only goal is to keep our children and our neighborhoods safe from violence.”
“We are grateful to Citizens and necn for their generous support of our mission,” said Monalisa Smith, president and founder of Mothers for Justice and Equality. “The Champions in Action award will help us as we – mother to mother, family to family and block to block – together change the story of our streets to one of non-violence.”
To date, the Champions in Action program has awarded 317 nonprofits more than $8.6 million in grants and promotional support.
As a Champion in Action, MJE will receive:
- a $35,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from Citizens Bank;
- a series of public service announcements and television profiles that will air over the course of six months on necn;
- Citizens Bank colleagues will volunteer during MJE programs and events;
- the opportunity for the organization’s executive director to participate in an “Executive-to-Executive” mentorship with a Citizens Bank executive;
- complimentary membership to the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network;
- public relations support including press releases and social media posts;
- promotional support highlighting the Champion in Action in Citizens Bank branches;
- exposure on the Citizens Bank and necn websites.
For more information about the Citizens Bank and necn Champions in Action program, visit www.citizensbank.com/community/champions.
