JCPenney Afterschool Fund Grant Provides Life-Enriching Afterschool Programs for Portland-Area Youth

PORTLAND, OREGON – November 11, 2008 – United Way of the Columbia-Willamette recently received a $94,000 grant from the JCPenney Afterschool Fund to support afterschool organizations in the Portland/Vancouver metro area in the 2008-2009 school year. Each organization received a grant to provide scholarships for youth to attend the programs and a $50 JCPenney gift card for each student receiving the grant support.

The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a charitable organization committed to providing children in need with access to high-quality after school programs that keep them safe and foster their academic, physical and social development.

On Saturday, November 15, at 9am, about 100 teens from the Metropolitan Family Services CAFÉ Program program at Rowe Middle School and Hacienda Community Development Services’ Expresiones-Centro de Jovenes will visit the JCPenney Store at Vancouver Mall in Washington to receive their gift cards and enjoy shopping. 

At Rowe Middle School in Milwaukie, Metropolitan Family Services’ CAFÉ afterschool program features literacy, reading, writing, drama, art, and math. CAFÉ fosters student success in a supportive and nourishing atmosphere for children of all languages and socio-economic backgrounds. CAFÉ parents also receive encouragement to participate in their student's education through training opportunities and family events. More importantly, parents get assistance in connecting with teachers and school staff.

Hacienda CDC’s Expresiones-Centro de Jovenes program provides an onsite after-school program for middle school students at each of Hacienda’s three complexes in northeast Portland. The program focuses on tutoring as well as math and English skill development. Promotoras or community connectors are available to teach parents health and parent advocacy skills. Expresiones seeks to increase student success and personal development and to reduce risk factors for gang involvement, academic failure, school dropouts and early involvement in drug/alcohol use and abuse during the critical transition period of middle school.

Youth served by the Children’s Home Society of SW Washington’s Triple Point Outreach Program will also participate in the shopping day. Triple Point Outreach provides an afterschool support group for youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ). Triple Point Outreach provides a safe location for youth to get help with homework and activities that help build leadership, communication and conflict resolution skills.

Although the program is not currently part of the JCPenney AfterSchool Program in the region, Triple Point Outreach received a one-time $5,000 donation from the newly opened JCPenney store in SE Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver.

About United Way of the Columbia-Willamette

United Way of the Columbia-Willamette is working to advance the common good in the four-county Portland/Vancouver area by focusing on the basics we all need for success:  education, income, and health. We all win when children succeed in school, families are financially stable and independent, and people have good health. Our goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place. By working together we can create opportunities for a better life and create a stronger community.  That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED.

About The JCPenney Afterschool Fund

The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a charitable organization committed to advancing the afterschool movement in JCPenney communities by increasing access for children in need, inspiring innovation in the field, and elevating awareness of the value of afterschool programs. Currently, more than 14 million youth in America are unsupervised every day between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.  Through partnerships with the YMCA of the USA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National 4-H and United Way of America, the JCPenney Afterschool Fund helps prepare children to reach their full potential by providing them with essential afterschool opportunities. For more information visit www.jcpenneyafterschool.org

About JCPenney

JCPenney is one of America's leading retailers, operating 1,093 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation's largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company's commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. Traded as "JCP" on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company posted revenue of $19.9 billion in 2006 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry. Key to this strategy is JCPenney's "Every Day Matters" brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the Company's 155,000 Associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with JCPenney. For more information visit www.jcpenney.net