CHERRY HILL, N.J., Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TD today
announced that six U.S. recipients will receive 2020 TD Ready
Challenge grant awards totaling $2.8
million* to address the widespread impacts of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The recipients are located across TD Bank's
Maine-to-Florida footprint.
"The COVID-19 pandemic created a healthcare crisis that
exposed social, economic and racial inequities, and we know it
continues to disproportionately impact vulnerable populations
across the U.S.," said Greg Braca,
President and CEO, TD Bank. "This year, we focused the TD Ready
Challenge competition on organizations that provide innovative
solutions to the communities where we live and work."
The 2020 TD Ready Challenge sought organizations that are
developing innovative solutions for addressing inequities
exacerbated by the pandemic in communities that were
disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Organizations were asked to demonstrate how their solutions will
drive faster, sustained and equitable recovery through one or more
of the four interconnected drivers of change of the TD Ready
Commitment, TD's corporate citizenship platform, aimed at opening
doors to a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.
TD established the TD Ready Challenge in 2018 to identify and
support scalable solutions to a specific issue identified within
the drivers of the TD Ready Commitment: Financial
Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected
Communities and Better Health. This year it is part
of the roughly $20 million that TD has allocated to help
strengthen community resilience and COVID-19 recovery through
the TD Community Resilience Initiative
"It's clear that generating new ideas and solutions is key to
helping all of our communities emerge resilient, inclusive, vibrant
and ready for the continually changing future," said Shelley Sylva, Head of U.S. Social Impact, TD
Bank. "I can't wait to see the lives changed and opportunities
created through the efforts of these winning organizations."
Over 1,300 applications were received this year and evaluated
through a comprehensive review process that culminated in a final
judging contest comprised of a panel of 18 bank and subject matter
experts. A total of 15 North American recipients received awards
ranging from $269,500-$770,000.
The U.S. recipients of the 2020 TD Ready Challenge are:
Urban League of Broward County, Inc., LYNX: Service
Integration Model for Family Resiliency -Broward County, Florida – Awarded $770,000
This integrated service and coaching model presents a path towards
social and economic resilience for families in underserved
communities. LYNX leverages program services, artificial
intelligence, data science and strategic partnerships to reduce
bias and influence policies that impact low-to-moderate income
households.
Per Scholas, Inc., Per Scholas Alumni Upskilling
Initiative - Baltimore, MD;
Boston, MA; Newark, NJ; New York
City, NY; Philadelphia, PA
and Washington, DC – Awarded
$577,500
Through this initiative, the organization will provide enhanced,
tuition-free tech training opportunities and career development
services for alumni negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis,
with a focus on with upskilling, reskilling, and professional
development opportunities to advance in successful tech
careers.
Philadelphia Association of Community Development
Corporations, Save Your Biz Philly Program -
Philadelphia, PA – Awarded
$577,500
This program aims to help minority small businesses owners and
small businesses on commercial corridors serving minority
populations that have debts due to the COVID-19 crisis save their
businesses and retain or re-hire employees through outreach,
technical assistance, financial counseling, pro-bono legal counsel,
and a Court-mandated process of negotiation with debt holders that
can lead to manageable re-payment agreements.
Clinica Esperanza Hope Clinic, Responding to the
COVID-19 health and economic crisis in a low-income,
Spanish-speaking area of Providence,
RI – Awarded $316,000
This program plans to Expand the free clinic services and
address the unmet healthcare needs of newly unemployed and
uninsured patients needing care as a result of COVID-19.
Port Discovery Children's Museum – Supporting
Baltimore's Children: A COVID-19
Response Project Baltimore, MD
– Awarded $269,500
In response to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this
project aims to harness the power of playful learning to support
children. To increase access to learning, the Museum will create
and deliver virtual educational enrichment for students in
under-resourced schools and neighborhoods, launch new programming
that helps bridge the digital divide among early learners, and
reopen the Museum safely for families in the Baltimore community. Programs will focus on
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), the arts,
healthy living, and early literacy.
Penquis, the Rural Maine Financial Coaching
Collaborative, Eastern, Central, Mid-Coast, and DownEast Maine,
including three Native American Reservations, Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Tribes – Awarded
$269,500
This collaboration will provide financial coaching through 10+
social services agencies and support over 30+ case managers in
helping hundreds of low-income clients to weather financial
difficulties, prioritize bills and budgeting, and to develop and
negotiate payment plans, in addition to supporting case managers in
understanding the basics of the foreclosure and rental eviction
processes to help keep clients in their homes or find reasonable
alternatives.
The TD Ready Challenge is part of TD's efforts to help build
more resilient societies. For more information about the 2020 TD
Ready Challenge and winners, visit
http://www.td.com/readychallenge. For additional information about
the TD Ready Commitment, please
visit td.com/tdreadycommitment.
About the 2020 TD Ready Challenge Problem
Statement
The 2020 TD Ready Challenge will help support
innovative solutions that address the impacts of the pandemic,
specifically for communities that are experiencing disproportionate
impacts of COVID-19. We are seeking applications that will help
drive accelerated, sustained and equitable recovery. Applications
must work to explicitly address inequities exacerbated by the
pandemic, as well as one or more of the four interconnected drivers
of change of the TD Ready Commitment. For more information
visit: td.com/readychallenge.
About the TD Ready Commitment
TD has a long-standing
commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and
communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, the TD
Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1
billion (U.S. $775 million) in total by 2030 towards
community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for a more
inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security, Vibrant
Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through the TD
Ready Commitment, TD aspires to link its business, philanthropy and
human capital to help people feel more confident - not just about
their finances, but also in their ability to achieve their personal
goals in a changing world. For further information,
visit td.com/tdreadycommitment.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient
Bank®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10
largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9.5 million
customers with a full range of retail, small business and
commercial banking products and services at more than 1,220
convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro
D.C., the Carolinas and Florida.
In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private
banking and wealth management services through TD
Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial
services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in
Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more,
visit www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/TDBank_US and www.twitter.com/TDNews_US.
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank
Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services
company in North America. The
Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New
York and Toronto stock
exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD". To learn more, visit
www.td.com/us.
*All grants are awarded in CAD, the US awards listed here
represent the approximate amount in US dollars.
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