The YMCA of Rowan County, a United Way Member Agency, has received four $5,000 grants from jcp cares, jcpenney’s new charitable giving program, to provide school-aged children with financial assistance to attend after-school programs at the Y. This gift provides children in the Rowan community, who otherwise could not afford to participate, access to life-enriching after-school programs that cultivate the values, relationships and skills kids need to thrive. This is the sixth year that jcpenney has supported the local Y’s after-school programs.
According to the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness advocacy organization, 15.1 million U.S. children are left unsupervised after 3 p.m. during the school year. Studies show participation in after-school programs helps boost school attendance and academic performance and reduces gaps in academic achievement among children from disadvantaged households.
“As a company founded on the Golden Rule, jcpenney has a strong legacy of giving back,” said Miki Woodard, president of jcp cares and vice president of philanthropy at jcpenney. “We are firmly committed to organizations like the Y, which truly make a difference in their communities.”
The YMCA of Rowan County sees the benefits of this collaboration first-hand. “The support of jcpenney enhances our efforts to serve as many children as possible with meaningful, high-quality after-school programming,” says Jamie Morgan, CEO. “By working together we can not only keep children safer, but also help provide them with lasting benefits, including healthier lifestyles, improved social skills and an enhanced academic performance.” In Rowan County, the Y serves 328 children at its 15 after-school sites.
In addition to supporting local Ys’ after-school programs, jcpenney has named the Y as its featured charity for January. Jcpenney team members will invite customers throughout January to round up their purchases in stores to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to the Y. These resources will support the Y’s national commitment to closing the achievement gap through three key programs: early learning, after-school and summer learning. Jcpenney will feature the Y prominently on the company’s web site (www.jcp.com), in mailings and nationwide in stores throughout January. Donations will also be accepted online through Jan. 31 at: www.jcpenny.com/jcpcares.