JC Penney Shoppers Invited to Donate ‘Pennies From Heaven’ for West Broad Street YCMA


From Nov. 30 through Dec. 12, shoppers at the JC Penney Oglethorpe Mall are invited to turn small change into “pennies from heaven” by rounding up their holiday purchases and donating the difference to West Broad Street YCMA.

West Broad Street YCMA is one of 1,100 afterschool organizations from across the country matched with a local jcpenney store that will benefit from the entire proceeds raised during the pennies from heaven campaign.

“It takes the support of our entire community to make it possible for more kids to be involved in a positive learning environment after school,” said Tom Duff, store manager at JC Penney Oglethorpe Mall.

National research shows that one out of four students in the U.S. is on their own between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day.* The afterschool program offered at West Broad Street YCMA serves more than 200 students each year by involving them in programs that help kids develop social skills, provide opportunities to be physically active and achieve academic success in school.

“For more than a decade, JC Penney has been deeply committed to helping kids spread their wings by making it possible for more students to participate in life-enriching afterschool programs,” said Duff. “When we leverage the power of a penny to create opportunities for learning, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our future leaders.”

For more information related to the pennies from heaven initiative, visit jcpenneyafterschool.org..

What was once one of 300, this Heritage Y, now one of 6 left in the country, serves all people of Savannah. It continues to stand as testimony to the hard won battles of the past and the ongoing work of the present. As a piece of living history, it continues to teach our children that freedom comes with a price.

In 1968, the City of Savannah, in cooperation with the Housing Authority of Savannah, purchased 4 acres of land on May Street, one block west of West Broad Street.

It houses an early learning program for 80 children 6 weeks to 4 years, a before and after school program, an alternative school for suspended middle school age children, a Title I tutorial center, two computer labs, classrooms for GED and other adult education, a working swimming pool, fitness center, public library, a strong summer program, as well as a variety of enrichment and recreation programs.

Over 75 children receive three well balanced nutritional meals each day through its onsite commercial kitchen with food supplemented from its organic garden. There were over 30,000 visits of children and adults in 2011 to the West Broad Street YMCA. As the leading corporate advocate for the afterschool issue, jcpenney partners with leading afterschool organizations to make life-enriching afterschool programs accessible for working families. Through its legacy of supporting youth and charitable organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Y, National 4- H, United Way and FIRSTâ Robotics, jcpenney formalized its commitment to the afterschool cause by establishing the jcpenney afterschool fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since its inception, more than $100 million has been distributed to afterschool programs across every jcpenney community thereby making it possible for more kids to spread their wings.

For more information, visit www.jcp.com/pennies.



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