Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard Named Champion in Action for Strengthening Communities through Veterans Support

PITTSBURGH – Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares announced today that Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard is the latest nonprofit to be named a Champion in Action®.

Veterans Place received the Champion in Action award for its dedication to ending homelessness among veterans in the Pittsburgh region. As a Champion in Action, the nonprofit will receive a $35,000 contribution from Citizens Bank, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support.

“Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard provides a variety of supportive services for the growing population of homeless veterans in the Pittsburgh area,” said Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, President of Citizens Bank for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. “Since 1996, Veterans Place has worked in partnership with the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and other organizations to facilitate veterans’ transition from homeless to home, becoming engaged, valuable citizens who contribute to their communities.”

Launched in 2002, Champions in Action is a joint initiative of Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares that provides various forms of support to small nonprofit organizations in recognition of their contributions to communities throughout the Pittsburgh area. To date, the program has awarded 37 nonprofits and more than $1 million in grants and promotional support in Pittsburgh. Applications for the first 2016 Champion in Action in the Workforce Development category are being accepted from July 6 through July 24, 2015. The winner will be announced in January of 2016. Eligible nonprofits should apply online at www.citizensbank.com/community/champions.

“WPXI-TV is pleased to recognize Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard and its unwavering commitment to helping veterans in our area,” said Ray Carter, General Manager of WPXI-TV. “This great organization has provided more than 18,000 client days of service to veterans living in Pittsburgh’s emergency shelters and on the streets through its Homeless Veterans Day Program which transports veterans from shelters throughout the region to Veterans Place.”

“Trib Total Media recognizes the tremendous work Veterans Place is doing for our veterans and their families in the Pittsburgh region,” said Jennifer Bertetto, Trib Total Media President and CEO. “Through their work, veterans are provided meals, clothing, case management, referrals and services to their specific needs, including transportation. They also provide transitional housing for homeless veterans, maintaining a 70 percent success rate of transition into permanent housing.”

Citizens Bank officials, along with representatives from WPXI-TV, made the announcement earlier today at Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh.

“We are delighted to be chosen as a Champion in Action,” said Marlon Ferguson, Executive Director of Veterans Place. “Helping veterans help themselves is our motto and passion. We offer veterans a safe, supportive and regenerative environment as they gain the necessary skills to face real life challenges and ultimately enable them to lead productive and self-sufficient lives.”

As a Champion in Action, the organization will receive:

• A $35,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from Citizens Bank;
• The opportunity for the organization’s Executive Director to participate in a “President-to-President” mentorship with Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania President Daniel K. Fitzpatrick;
• Promotional support highlighting the Champion in Action on all Citizens Bank branch DCN screens and on its ATMs;
• News coverage and public service announcements from WPXI-TV and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review;
• Volunteer support from Citizens Bank, Pittsburgh Cares, WPXI-TV and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review;
• Extensive public relations support.

For more information about the Champions in Action program and to apply, visit www.citizensbank.com/community.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $136.5 billion in assets as of March 31, 2015. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens helps its retail customers “bank better” with mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,200 ATMs and approximately 1,200 Citizens Bank branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Citizens also provides mortgage lending, auto lending, student lending and commercial banking services in select markets nationwide. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest hedging, leasing and asset finance, specialty finance and trade finance.

Citizens operates through its subsidiaries Citizens Bank, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. Additional information about Citizens and its full line of products and services can be found at www.citizensbank.com.

About WPXI-TV

WPXI is the Cox Media Group TV station in the Pittsburgh television market. Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of Cox Reps. Additionally, CMG owns and operates Valpak, one of North America’s leading direct marketing companies. The company operations include 15 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 86 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG operates in more than 30 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 18 million radio listeners. WPXI-TV’s website is wpxi.com.

Trib Total Media is a multimedia network of daily and weekly newspapers, weekly shoppers, and websites delivering news, information and advertising to over 1.2 million readers across Western Pennsylvania every week. Trib Total Media’s targeted direct mail, promotional products, commercial printing, media planning and digital services deliver a variety of marketing solutions for advertisers big and small. In addition, Trib Total Media has formed strategic partnerships with community and non-profit organizations across the region, enabling Trib Total Media to conTRIBute and make a positive impact in the communities they serve. Visit TribTotalMedia.com and discover how we do things right. Here.

About Pittsburgh Cares

Founded in 1992, the mission of Pittsburgh Cares is to maximize the impact of our nonprofit partners and to advance a culture of volunteerism and civic engagement in the Pittsburgh region. Firmly believing that the collective efforts of volunteers can transform an entire city, we provide opportunities for adults, youth, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to connect and serve together to address pressing social needs. As the largest volunteer agency in the Pittsburgh region, Pittsburgh Cares offers more than 20,000 volunteer positions each year. We offer a free public resource that connects the general public to hundreds of one-time and skills-based service projects per month. We also constantly strive to offer programs that strategically maximize volunteer time and provide high-quality service experiences, moving Pittsburgh closer to the day when everyone is inspired and equipped to be the change they wish to see in the world.