LOS ANGELES, December 10, 2012 - More Than Me Foundation of New Jersey was awarded a $1 million grant from Chase at the second annual American Giving Awards on NBC. Host Joel McHale was joined by presenters Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Jenna Fisher, Anthony Anderson, Sarah Hyland and Jenna Elfman to announce the five finalists that were chosen by Facebook users and Chase online customers.
More Than Me Foundation is committed to help young Liberian girls get off the street and into the classroom. The charity plans to use the $1 million to help build a boarding school that will educate 1,000 girls in West Africa. They expect the school to be sustainable in five years.
"The 2012 AGAs lived up to its billing as an emotional and inspiring evening," said Dalila Wilson-Scott, CFO of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. "Our Facebook fans and customers came together once again to choose five outstanding charities to receive Chase grants. I am truly humbled by the amazing work these organizations do every day to make this world a better place."
Actress Glenn Close was presented with the AGA Leadership Award for her commitment to raising awareness of mental illness through her charity, Bring Change 2 Mind. Close, whose sister and nephew live with mental illnesses, helped start Bring Change 2 Mind to remove stigmas and misconceptions about mental illness.
In addition to More Than Me Foundation's $1 million grant, the following four finalists will share in $1 million in grants from Chase:
- $500,000: Krochet Kids International, a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based accessories brand working to eradicate poverty through sustainable economic development programs and unique, one-of-a-kind products.
- $250,000: Timmy Global Health, based in Indianapolis, Ind., which expands access to healthcare and empowers students and volunteers to tackle today's most pressing global health challenges.
- $125,000: Team Rubicon, a charity based in Inglewood, Calif, that empowers veterans with a new mission and community through natural disaster and humanitarian crisis response.
- $125,000: Together We Rise, based in Chino, Calif., whose mission is to transform the way youth navigate through the foster care system in America.
The American Giving Awards brought together twenty-five Chase Community Giving grant recipients for the opportunity to share in the $2 million in grants. Chase Community Giving Facebook fans and Chase online customers voted from November 27 - December 4 to decide the five finalists. To see all twenty-five participants, visit: nbc.com/AmericanGivingAwards or facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving/app
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 more than 50 million consumers and small businesses through more than 5,500 bank branches, 18,000 ATMs, mortgage offices, and online and mobile banking as well as through relationships with auto dealerships. More information about Chase is available at www.chase.com.
About Chase Community Giving
Chase Community Giving leverages the power of social media to decide how some of Chase's charitable dollars are allocated. This program was developed by Chase to complement its charitable giving, which totals over $150 million annually. Chase Community Giving relies on its more than 3.8 million fans on Facebook and customers to help decide which local nonprofits receive grants. Since its inception in 2009, Chase Community Giving has helped direct over $28 million to thousands of charities across the country representing causes such as building schools in Africa, providing food and shelter to the homeless, and supporting the performing arts.
