Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, Inc. named Champion in Action in strengthening communities category

On Wednesday January 30, 2013, Citizens Bank and WTNH News 8 named Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, Inc. (GBCE) the first 2013 Champion in Action^® in the category of strengthening communities. Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises receives a $35,000 unrestricted grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its outstanding work.

Founded in 2006, GBCE is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to developing new businesses and jobs in the growing green economy. Making Bridgeport a more environmentally sustainable community, GBCE’s green enterprises contribute to the city’s economic and neighborhood development. By providing job training and placement for underserved Bridgeport residents, GBCE helps families from the city’s lowest-income neighborhoods achieve economic self-sufficiency.

The grant will be used to help GBCE establish its Green Business Hub – a central office location for the organization’s current and future green enterprises. The hub will host job-training and professional-development workshops, financial management and accounting services, and new business research and development efforts. It will house meeting and storage space.

“Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises, our newest Champion in Action in the category of strengthening communities, has proven itself to be a catalyst for positive change and innovative thinking,” said Ned Handy, President, Citizens Bank, Connecticut. “From empowering Bridgeport residents with the training they need to secure employment, to creating new businesses and jobs for the growing green economy, GBCE contributes to the economic development and sustainability of struggling city neighborhoods. This award will help GBCE to continue developing new ideas and programs that will change lives and spur economic growth, as well as to inspire other organizations throughout the state to consider creating their own green enterprises for the benefit of their communities.”

“News 8 is proud to recognize Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises for its efforts to restore disadvantaged areas and provide training in the growing green economy,” said Mark Higgins, Vice President and General Manager of WTNH/WCTX. “Not only does this organization develop neighborhoods, it promotes family economic self-sufficiency in an environmentally sustainable way.”

Champions in Action

Launched in 2002, Champions in Action is a joint initiative of Citizens Bank and WTNH News 8 to recognize and support nonprofit organizations for their contributions to Connecticut communities. To date, the program has awarded 40 nonprofits more than $1 million in grants and promotional support in Connecticut.

Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises addresses the city’s critical need for economic development and job growth through programs such as:

• Green Enterprise Job Training – Helping low-income city residents learn skills in green enterprise areas including energy conservation and weatherization, environmental and brownfields remediation, and Deconstruction, Recycling and Reuse.

• The Green Team – Graduates of GBCE’s job-training programs put their new skills to work on city revitalization projects such as the GreenUp House and the Freeman Houses.

• Park City Green – A collaborative, nonprofit mattress deconstruction and materials recycling business, it processes more than 500 mattresses each week.

As a Champion in Action, Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises receives:

• A $35,000 contribution in unrestricted funds from the Citizens Charitable Foundation;
• Media coverage from WTNH News 8, including public service announcements and television profiles over the course of six months;
• Volunteer support from Citizens and WTNH News 8 colleagues;
• The opportunity for the organization’s Executive Director to participate in a “President-to-President” mentorship with Citizens Bank, Connecticut President Ned Handy;
• Extensive public relations support;
• Promotional support highlighting the Champion in Action on all Citizens Bank branch DCN screens and on its ATMs; and
• Exposure on both Citizens Bank and WTNH News 8 websites.                                      

“Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises is very pleased to have been selected as a Champion in Action by Citizens Bank,” said Adrienne Houel, President and CEO of GBCE. “This recognition and the donation will have a positive impact on the creation of new social enterprises and jobs in our community, as well as Bridgeport’s family economic stability and environmental sustainability. This is the start of an important partnership designed to leverage the collective talents of the bank’s volunteers and its investment in our organization.”

Applications for the 2013 Champion in Action arts and culture category are due Friday, March 8, at 5 p.m. The winner will be announced in July. Eligible nonprofits should apply online at www.citizensbank.com/community/champions.

For more information about the Citizens Bank/WTNH News 8 Champions in Action program, visit www.citizensbank.com/community/champions  or www.wtnh.com. To contribute to Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises through donations or volunteerism, call 203.212.3858 or visit www.greenteambpt.com.

About Citizens Bank

Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 50 branches and 127 ATMs in Connecticut.

RBS Citizens, N.A., is a subsidiary of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $132 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and through its subsidiaries has more than 1,400 branches, approximately 3,600 ATMs and approximately 18,950 colleagues. Its two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. RBSCFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. RBSCFG is owned by RBS (the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). RBSCFG’s website is citizensbank.com.

About WTNH News 8

WTNH News 8 continues to set the standard for news coverage excellence in Connecticut. News 8 provides news, weather and information around the clock through its television newscasts, WTNH.com website, and digital and mobile platforms. WTNH News 8, an ABC affiliate, and WCTX MyTV9, a My Network affiliate, serve more than 871,000* households.

*Estimate according to Connecticut Nielsen Station Index (NSI).