Published: December 11, 2011
To Write Love On Her Arms Wins $1 Million Grant from Chase at First-Ever American Giving Awards
LOS ANGELES - (BUSINESS WIRE) - To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) of Cocoa, Florida was awarded a $1
million grant from Chase at the first-ever American Giving Awards (AGAs)
on NBC tonight. The program, hosted by 22-time Emmy Award-winner Bob
Costas, featured celebrity tributes to five charities selected through
online voting. Stars including will.i.am, Miley Cyrus, Jesse Tyler
Ferguson, 50 Cent, and Rodney Atkins celebrated the accomplishments of
the charities.
To Write Love on Her Arms is dedicated to presenting hope and finding
help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and
suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest
directly into treatment and recovery.
"Winning a million dollars on national television, confetti falling
down, that's something I couldn't even have dreamed up. It was just
amazing. It was the biggest moment in our history and the best night of
my life," Said Jamie Tworkowski, Founder of TWLOHA. "The $1
million grant from Chase instantly changes what the next year will look
like for us. It will allow us to be more creative than ever before in
bringing our message of hope and help to the world. It also allows us to
invest in treatment and recovery more than ever before."
"The American Giving Awards was a terrific way to honor outstanding
charitable work and to celebrate the spirit of giving that Chase
supports in communities around the world," said Kimberly Davis,
President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. "We look forward to
continuing the successful partnership with over 3.3 million Chase
Community Giving fans on Facebook."
The AGAs, presented by Chase, dick clark productions and Intersport were
the first-ever televised celebrity tribute to community heroes that
offered five charities an opportunity to receive grants based on the
number of online votes in support of their organization. TWLOHA was
among the five finalists competing for an opportunity to share $2
million in Chase grants. From December 1 through December 8, fans of
Chase Community Giving (CCG) on Facebook and Chase online customers
determined how much each charity would receive by voting for their
favorite featured charity online.
Four additional finalists will split another $1 million in grants from
Chase as follows:
-
$500,000 Grant: Let's Get Ready,
Inc. (New York, NY) works to expand college access for
motivated, low-income high school students by providing free SAT
preparation and college admission counseling.
-
$250,000 Grant: Matthew Shepard
Foundation (Casper, WY) was created in the memory of anti-gay
hate crime victim Matthew Shepard to encourage respect for human
dignity and difference by raising awareness, opening dialogues, and
promoting positive change.
-
$125,000 Grant: Wish Upon a Hero
Foundation, Inc. (Moorestown, NJ) utilizes social media and
technology to connect those in need of support, including patients
with long-term illnesses, military families, and natural disaster
survivors, with people who can fulfill their wishes and truly change
their lives.
-
$125,000 Grant: Move for Hunger,
Inc. (Neptune, NJ) works with moving companies across America
to pick up the unopened, non-perishable food items from people during
the moving process and deliver it to their local food banks.
Golden Globe Award-winning actor Colin Farrell was honored with
the inaugural AGA Leadership Award for his ongoing support of several
causes including combating homophobia, championing the Special Olympics,
active participation with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and raising
awareness of Angelman Syndrome.
"I'd like to thank Chase for this. I'd like to thank them for the
opportunity for all the charities that are going to get the chance to
shine a light on their more than worthy and noble causes. I commend all
the charities that are here tonight," stated Farrell. "I would like to
receive this award on behalf of all the parents with children with
Angelmans and all the work that they do, daily."
Dancing with the Stars winner and U.S. Army veteran J.R.
Martinez led a moving tribute to American Veterans and introduced Frank
Vazquez, a U.S. Navy veteran and Chase employee who was hired as
part of the "100,000
Jobs Mission" to help find jobs for transitioning service members
and military veterans. Viewers were also encouraged to assist efforts to
help veterans find jobs and to visit the Chase Community Giving Facebook
page where they can learn how to help two veterans empowerment and
employment charities raise funds via text message. Contributors can
simply text VETS to 50555 to make a donation to Mission Continues and
the Student Veterans of America. Chase will match the first
$250,000 donated via this text campaign.
Additional moments of the evening included a tribute by Miss USA
Alyssa Campanella to young people who give back to their
communities. Presentations were also made by Gabrielle Union and Terrence
Howard. LeAnn Rimes, Taio Cruz, and Jackie Evancho,
each also took the stage to lend their voices to honor the local heroes.
The online voting was supported by the bank's Chase Community Giving
program that leverages the power of social media to "crowdsource" how
charitable dollars should be allocated. This program was developed by
Chase to complement its charitable giving, which totals over $150
million annually. Chase Community Giving relies on its over 3.3 million
fans on Facebook to help decide which local nonprofits should receive
grant money from Chase. Since its inception in 2009, Chase Community
Giving fans have helped Chase award over $18 million to 500 local
charities across the country representing causes such as building
schools in Africa, providing food and shelter to the homeless, and
supporting the performing arts.
About Chase
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan
Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with
assets of $2.3 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Chase
serves consumers and small businesses through 5,200 bank branches,
16,200 ATMs, mortgage offices, and online and mobile banking as well as
through relationships with auto dealerships and schools and
universities. Chase also has issued more than 90 million credit cards.
More information about Chase is available at www.chase.com.
About dick clark productions, inc.
Founded in 1957, dick clark productions, inc. (dcp) is a leading
independent producer of television programming. dcp produces perennial
hits such as the "American Music Awards," "Golden Globe Awards,"
"Academy of Country Music Awards," and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin'
Eve with Ryan Seacrest." dcp also produces popular weekly television
programming, including "So You Think You Can Dance," and owns and
maintains one of the world's most unique and extensive entertainment
libraries, which includes more than 30 years of "American Bandstand"
footage. For additional information about dcp, please visit www.dickclarkproductions.com.
About Intersport
For 26 years, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader
in the creation of sports and entertainment based marketing platforms.
Intersport provides turnkey solutions for global brands by combining two
divisions: Sponsorship & Event Marketing and Television & Digital Media.
The Emmy-award winning producers within Intersport's Television
Programming & Production Division specialize in the delivery of
customized media solutions through original content, robust distribution
and organic brand messaging within quality programming. Intersport
delivers content to all broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC). To
learn more about Intersport, log on to www.intersportnet.com,
like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/IntersportBuzz)
or follow us on Twitter (@IntersportBuzz).

Sunshine Sachs
Michael Samonte, 323-822-9300
samonte@sunshinesachs.com
or
JPMorgan
Chase
Erich Timmerman, 212-622-4080
etimmerman@jpmchase.com
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