Waltham Nonprofit More Than Words Named Bank of America Neighborhood Builder

Pictured: Miceal Chamberlain, Bank of America Massachusetts market president; Mark Culliton, College Bound Dorchester Executive Director; Michelle Caldeira, College Bound Dorchester Director of Development; Kerry Sullivan, Bank of America Charitable Foundation President; Jodi Rosenbaum, More Than Words Executive Director; Shaun Newell, More Than Words Director of Operations; two youths from More Than Words.

BOSTON - Bank of America has named College Bound Dorchester and More Than Words as 2016 Neighborhood Builders. Neighborhood Builders combines leadership development resources with $200,000 of flexible funding intended to help increase the organizations’ capacity and impact in the Greater Boston community.

“We recognize that nonprofits and their leaders are on the frontlines as they tackle tough community issues that are vital to Greater Boston’s economic growth,” said Miceal Chamberlain, Massachusetts market president, Bank of America. “College Bound Dorchester and More Than Words already provide crucial services that help young people realize their full potential in the areas of education and professionalism. Through Neighborhood Builders, we hope to support these organizations to do even more for individuals in our community.”

College Bound Dorchester, based in Dorchester, uses an intervention model designed to identify, engage, and serve “Core Influencers” – the young people who drive disruption in their communities - and set them on a path toward higher education. Under the leadership of Executive Director Mark Culliton, who views education as a means to social justice, the organization serves more than 500 proven-risk youth annually, with 52 matriculating to college last year. Culliton states, “Education, specifically a pathway to and through college, should be provided to even the most off-track and disruptive students -- those who have failed, dropped out, are gang-involved or incarcerated. Our mission is aggressive and a direct challenge to the status quo.”

More Than Words, with locations in both Waltham and Boston, is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers youth aged 16-21 who are in foster care, court involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives through business opportunities in More Than Words’ online and retail bookstores. With Executive Director and founder Jodi Rosenbaum at the helm, the organization serves more than 250 individuals per year, and 83 percent of their graduates have obtained GEDs or high school diplomas. “I started with a passion, determination and deep belief to give youth who had been bounced around the foster care system an authentic opportunity to matter, to be part of a team, and to learn to run a business,” Rosenbaum says. “Thirteen years later, I am proud that the same depth of belief in the potential of our youth continues to drive every decision we make.”

Since 2004, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation has invested $183 million in more than 900 nonprofit organizations and provided leadership resources to nearly 2,000 nonprofit leaders through Neighborhood Builders and the Neighborhood Builders Leadership Program®. This long-term investment in nonprofit leadership development and capacity building is the largest philanthropic investment of its kind.

Neighborhood Builders is just one example of our broader environmental social governance efforts to build vibrant communities and economies. By advancing partnerships with nonprofits addressing needs related to community development, basic human services and workforce development and education, we are working to increase financial stability and help individuals and families find the pathways out of poverty.

About Bank of America Environmental, Social and Governance

At Bank of America, our focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors is critical to fulfilling our purpose of helping make people’s financial lives better. Our commitment to growing our business responsibly is embedded in every aspect of our company. It is demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our customers, and the impact we help create around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships across sectors - including community and environmental advocate groups, as well as non-profits – in order to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and connect with us on Twitter at @BofA_News.