Fine Art Miracles, Inc. named Champion in Action

PITTSBURGH, P.A. – Fine Art Miracles, Inc., a non-profit providing fine art education, art & music therapy, and socially assistive technology, has been named a 2018 Champion in Action® in the category of Community Arts. The award, announced jointly by Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares, includes $35,000 in unrestricted funding as well as promotional and volunteer support for the organization’s outstanding work.

Fine Art Miracles (FAM) provides educational, affordable fine art lessons, art therapy, music therapy, and social robot enhanced learning to more than 30,000 people each year, including the elderly, individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities, the homeless, veterans, children & adults on the autism spectrum, economically challenged families, and people struggling with Alzheimer’s Disease and other age related forms of dementia.

Champions in Action is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s program to enhance quality of life and economic vitality in local communities. It provides support for nonprofit organizations to recognize their contributions to communities throughout the Pittsburgh region.

“Fine Art Miracles enriches the community emotionally, socially and cognitively through arts programming,” said Mark Latterner, Pittsburgh Market President, Citizens Bank. “They are a true Champion in Action, providing those facing challenges – whether physical, intellectual, emotional or circumstantial - the freedom to explore their creativity in a safe and fun environment.”

“WPXI is pleased to recognize the efforts of Fine Art Miracles in shaping the futures for special needs populations,” said Kevin Hayes, General Manager of WPXI-TV. “This outstanding organization works overtime to serve those who experience difficulty with the activities of daily living. FAM’s recognition is well deserved.”

“Trib Total Media recognizes the tremendous work Fine Art Miracles is doing in the Pittsburgh region,” said Jennifer Bertetto, Trib Total Media President and CEO. “Fine Art Miracles enhances the quality of life of tens thousands of children, adults and elderly each year by giving them an opportunity for creative expression. They are so deserving of being called a Champion in Action.”

To date, the Champions in Action program has awarded 322 nonprofits more than $8.9 million in contributions and promotional support.

“We thank Citizens, WPXI, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares for the Champion in Action award,” said Tess Lojacono, CEO, Fine Art Miracles. “Their recognition and support will help Fine Art Miracles, Inc. change the lives of our communities’ most vulnerable members. With art and music (and sometimes robots!), FAM releases the Champion within.”

As a Champion in Action, Fine Art Miracles, Inc. will receive:

• A $35,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from Citizens Bank;
• Public relations support including media coverage from WPXI-TV, and Trib Total Media, including public service announcements and television profiles;
• Volunteer support from Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV, Trib Total Media, and colleagues from Pittsburgh Cares at the nonprofit’s events;
• The opportunity for the organization’s executive director to participate in an “Executive-to-Executive” mentorship with a Citizens Bank executive;
• Promotional support highlighting the Champion in Action in Citizens Bank branches;
• Exposure on the Citizens Bank, WPXI-TV and Trib Total Media websites.

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

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $152.3 billion in assets as of December 31, 2017. 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. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,300 ATMs and approximately 1,200 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. 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 rate products, and asset finance. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

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.

About Trib Total Media

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.