Citizens Financial : Bank announces $40,000 in contributions to neighborhood revitalization efforts in Central Falls, Pawtucket

03/30/2017

Eightprojects in Central Falls and Pawtucket funded through Growing Communities initiative

PROVIDENCE, RI - Small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Central Falls and Pawtucket will get another boost as Citizens Bank announces the winners of the next phase of its Growing Communities initiative.

The Growing Communities initiative, in partnership with Local Initiatives Support Corporation Rhode Island (LISC RI), funds eight neighborhood projects totaling $40,000. These projects will enhance Central Falls and Pawtucket by supporting youth programming, providing job training and increasing access to safe public spaces. Growing Communities also supported LISC's 'Our Neighborhoods' project with a $10,000 contribution, a community development strategy designed to improve the quality of life in Rhode Island's most challenging neighborhoods.

'We have seen great progress in neighborhood revitalization and economic development in Pawtucket and Central Falls through our Growing Communities initiative,' said Barbara Cottam, Rhode Island Market Executive, Citizens Bank. 'With local organizations, we've developed a bike path, STEM programming and a culinary training program for adjudicated youth. It was an easy choice to commit to a second funding phase to continue the momentum of positive change in these communities. Our partnership with LISC is a great example of the power of collaboration to help strengthen our communities and leverage our resources to make a deep impact.'

Growing Communities is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank's program to help contribute to the economic vitality of its communities. The Growing Communities initiative is designed to foster neighborhood revitalization and economic development activities in targeted communities. This will be the second time the program has focused funding in Central Falls and Pawtucket.

LISC empowers neighborhood residents and community leaders to become active partners in creating goals and objectives for their neighborhood, and then connects them with the right resources and experts needed to implement the projects identified. This collaboration helps create strong, healthy communities that are good places to live, work and raise a family.

'LISC Rhode Island is pleased to be part of this continuing partnership with Citizens Bank and supporting Year 2 of the Growing Communities initiative in Central Falls and Pawtucket,' said Jeanne Cola, Executive Director of LISC RI. 'We are proud of the work that has been accomplished by the organizations we are recognizing today. These projects build on existing assets of these communities and help to leverage additional resources for the neighborhoods. We want to do all we can to support healthy living, safe neighborhoods and workforce development for every resident in these two communities.'

Selected through a competitive grant process, the eight organizations receiving funding are:

City of Central Falls

In partnership with the City of Pawtucket, the Central Falls' Youth Development Initiative will benefit the City's significant elderly population, provide employment opportunities for Central Falls high school youth and serve as a catalyst for year-long youth employment opportunities that will benefit all Central Falls residents (according to the 2014 census, nearly 20,000 residents). The youth employment initiative will build a successful youth-led snow removal program and provide the impetus for year-round youth employment opportunities while fostering a sense of commitment to their community and keeping seniors safe.

Farm Fresh

The Harvest Kitchen Nutrition Education and Job Training Center will create many cross-program connections for Farm Fresh through the creation of a healthy food retail option in the low-income area on the Pawtucket/Central Falls border. Farm Fresh's nutrition education team will collaborate on developing and presenting nutrition education programs at the Kitchen and provide job training opportunities for at-risk, low-income youth.

Fuerza Laboral

Fuerza is the engine of economic growth in the region incubating worker-owned enterprises that can provide good dignified jobs to members of its community. Its Worker-Owned Collaborative Incubator Project demonstrates that fair, living-wage work is possible. The network of immigrant worker-owned cooperatives will benefit local consumers by providing quality goods and services that support family-sustaining, living-wage, and small businesses.

Pawtucket Central Falls Development Corporation

After School Youth Scholarships program will provide 100 scholarships to the youth of Pawtucket and Central Falls to attend the Boys and Girls Club of Pawtucket where they can get involved in health and life skill programs. Providing youth with accessible and affordable programming where they can feel safe, socialize with their peers, engage in healthy programs and become more active will also help with their physical health, healthier students and more active members of the community.

The Pawtucket School Department

Through a 13-week citizenship class that will serve up to 25 residents of Pawtucket and neighboring communities, the classes will be incorporated into the COZ adult education program. Becoming a citizen will assist individuals with employment, buying a home and providing stability for their families as well as future generations. The classes will be developed to provide prospective citizens with a basic understanding of U.S. History and constitutional democracy.

Progreso Latino

Progreso Latino's Job Club is a resource offering workers opportunities to connect to employers, job opportunities, and job search trainings. Through capacity building, the Club will integrate a volunteer recruitment and training component and also further develop linkages with employers and other organizations. The project will also emphasize two important aspects: enhancing workforce and business development. Progreso Latino will augment the impact of its Job Club and VITA program and connect entrepreneurs to the RI SBDC.

Southside Community Land Trust

The Garfield Park Community Garden will support neighborhood revitalization and promote livability on a parcel of formerly residential land that is now vacant. The 20-plot garden will serve as many as 12 families by providing them with 1-2 plots where gardeners can grow whatever food they choose for their families. Benefits to these 30 + gardeners will include savings on grocery bills, increased consumption of fresh, healthy food and reduced health care expenditures.

YWCA Rhode Island

YWCA Rhode Island will implement a workforce development initiative in Central Falls that engages Hispanic/Latino women to build language and literacy, basic education, and other skills required to be successful in the workforce. Sister to Sister / de Mujer a Mujer, will serve female residents of Central Falls who are low and moderate income who are in need of professional development opportunities that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. The program will engage 25 women from Central Falls in a peer-to-peer approach to health education about breast cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation's oldest and largest financial institutions, with $149.5 billion in assets as of December 31, 2016. 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 wealth management, 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 as Citizens Bank, Citizens Commercial Banking and Citizens One. Additional information about Citizens and its full line of products and services can be found at www.citizensbank.com.

About the Local Initiatives Support Corporation

LISC Rhode Island is part of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national nonprofit that equips struggling communities with the capital, program strategy and know-how to become places where people can thrive. Since 1980, LISC has invested $17 billion to build or rehab 365,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 61 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. LISC Rhode Island began its work in 1991 and has since invested more than $341 million in Rhode Island, supporting development of 7,400 affordable homes and 2 million square feet of commercial and community space. For more, visit www.rilisc.org.