JCPenney grants help local YMCAs

The JCPenney Afterschool Fund has awarded six grants totaling $30,226 to support after-school care at the Chickahominy, Downtown, North Richmond, Patrick Henry, Shady Grove and Tuckahoe YMCAs.

The money was donated by customers during Round Up Weeks at five area JCPenney stores.

By rounding up a purchase to the next dollar and donating the difference to after-school programs, customers at Regency Square, Chesterfield Towne Center, South Park Mall, Virginia Center Commons and the Shops at White Oak Village combined for $5,448.14 during the October round-up and $16,122.13 year-to-date, said Kevin Kennedy, manager of the White Oaks store.

The final JCPenney Round Up Week this year will be Dec. 4-15.

"After-school programs help to inspire our children to be smart, strong and socially responsible. We know that this is an issue of critical importance to our customers, associations, their families and our communities," Kennedy said at a celebration of this year's award at the Chickahominy YMCA.

"The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is firmly committed to supporting youth-serving organizations, like the YMCA, that are dedicated to providing safe, meaningful programs during the crucial hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., when studies show that youth are at a greater risk of involvement in crime, drug abuse and other destructive behaviors," said Jodi Gibson, president of the JCPenney Afterschool Fund, in a national announcement.

"By collaborating with the YMCA, we can ensure that more at-risk children across the nation have access to after-school programs that will inspire them to be smart, strong and socially responsible."

Child care programs at the Midlothian, Southside, North Richmond, Chickahominy and Tuckahoe YMCAs have received two previous JCPenney grants.

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When dentists are learning the newest techniques through the James River Dental Study Club, they also are supporting the work of CARITAS.

The dental organization has donated $2,000 in profits from this year's tuition payments to CARITAS, a program that works with area religious institutions to provide shelters for the homeless.

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Positive Vibe Café and CARITAS will receive $200,000 apiece from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation as the 2009 Richmond Neighborhood Builders.

The foundation also named five Local Heroes, each of whom gets to choose a nonprofit organization to receive a $5,000 donation, and five Student Leaders, each of whom had a paid internship at a local YMCA branch last summer and also attended a weeklong leadership summit in Washington.

The Positive Vibe Café provides job training and employment in the food-service industry for people with cognitive or physical disabilities. The organization has trained more than 270 individuals and has become a model for such programs on a local, national and international level.

CARITAS, the largest community shelter program in the Richmond area, provides more than 27,000 nights of shelter to about 1,000 men and women and offers 24-hour service for families in crisis.

The Local Heroes are retired Col. Robert C. Barrett, who will donate funds to the Army Quartermaster Foundation; Jennifer Jones, to the YWCA of Richmond; Dr. Monroe E. Harris, the United Negro College Fund; Laura Lee Chandler, the Richmond Ballet; and the Rev. Andrew J. White, the Children's Home of Virginia Baptist Inc.

Student Leaders are Jimmie Bullock of Prince George, a Prince George High School graduate and Longwood University student; Dana Cypress of Mechanicsville, a Lee-Davis High School senior; Kimara Davis of Richmond, a senior at Franklin Military Academy; Naveed Fazlani of Henrico County, a Godwin High School senior; and Michael Harrison of Richmond, a George Wythe High School senior.

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative annually recognizes organizations, individuals and students who have shown a commitment to improving their communities. More than $110 million has been distributed globally through the NEI program since it began six years ago.

Bank of America also has encouraged community leadership at the grass-roots level by recognizing more than 1,200 high school students and 1,200 community leaders over the past six years.

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or . Send notices for Notable Gifts to .