CAMBRIDGE, M.A., OCTOBER 29, 2015–Bank of America presented Cradles to Crayons with a $295,000.00 check today, to fund national growth and support mission-driven work in Massachusetts ($50,000), Greater Philadelphia ($20,000), and Chicago ($25,000). The donation came in conjunction with a volunteer visit to Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory® where Bank of America executives and teams put together customized packages—containing one week’s worth of essentials such as clothing and books—for local children in need.
Bank of America, Cradles to Crayons’ first national partner, has cumulatively contributed 6,400 hours of service (by more than 2,500 employees) and $1.2 million in funding since 2005. Their support for Cradles to Crayons’ national expansion has been instrumental in growing the organization to meet the goal of establishing three additional sites by 2018. This year, Cradles to Crayons will serve 119,000 children in Massachusetts and 53,100 in Greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and expects to begin serving children in Greater Chicago, Illinois.
Bank of America also plays important volunteer leadership roles in the organization. Dean Athanasia, President of Preferred & Small Business Banking and Cohead of Consumer Banking, has served on the Cradles to Crayons National Board of Directors since 2014.
“Bank of America has provided key long-time support for our growth—in Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Nationally. They have been behind us for major organizational milestones,” said Lynn Margherio, Cradles to Crayons Founder and CEO. “This gift supports our next phase and helps lay the groundwork necessary to serve children in additional communities across the country.”
Bank of America promotes growth and stability in global communities by investing company-wide resources in nonprofit organizations like Cradles to Crayons. Through these contributions, Cradles to Crayons can continue to expand and make an increasing impact on children living in poverty across the country. Cradles to Crayons was awarded Bank of America’s esteemed Neighborhood Builders Award—the nation’s largest philanthropic investment in nonprofit leadership development—for Massachusetts in 2010 and Greater Philadelphia in 2012.
“Cradles to Crayons provides the basic essentials that every child needs and deserves,“ said Dean Athanasia. “Our longstanding relationship from the organization’s first days here in Boston, to more recent partnerships in Philadelphia and Chicago, truly brings Bank of America and its employees so much more than we give—by connecting us to children in-need in a very meaningful way that resonates with our employees, our customers, and the communities we serve.”
For more information about all of Cradles to Crayons’ programs, visit www.cradlestocrayons.org. To find out more about all of Bank of America’s philanthropic initiatives, visit www.bankofamerica.com/about.
About Cradles to Crayons
Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12 who live in homeless or low-income situations with the essential items they need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play. Cradles to Crayons supplies these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have with communities that need, collecting new and like-new children’s items through grassroots community drives and corporate donations.
Cradles to Crayons is a national, non-profit organization headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts with locations in Boston Massachusetts and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Through our signature Everyday Essentials program and seasonal initiatives—Gear Up for Winter, Gear Up for Baby, and Ready for School—donations of children’s products are sorted, inspected, and packaged by volunteers at our warehouses, called The Giving Factory®. Our “KidPacks,” backpacks, and other items are then distributed through a collaborative network of social service agencies and school partners For additional information, visit www.cradlestocrayons.org.
About Bank of America
At Bank of America, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical to fulfilling our core purpose of making people’s financial lives better around the world. A commitment to growing our business responsibly is embedded in every aspect of our company, from our policies and practices to our services, products and employee benefits. An important part of that commitment is our ability to bring our size, scope and expertise to nonprofit partners through financial support, employee engagement and volunteerism. In all of our CSR work, we’re focused on simplifying banking and investing, advancing better money habits and making an impact in communities around the world. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_News
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