JC Penney Supports After-School in NYC

At the July 31 opening of JCPenney's new 150,000-square-foot store in Midtown Manhattan, the JCPenney Afterschool Fund announced a donation of more than $150,000 to support after-school initiatives and programs in New York City in the upcoming school year.

A donation of $100,000 was made to The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City to support the City's Out-of-School Time Initiative and establish the After-School Arts Partnership (ASAP), sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund.

The JCPenney Afterschool Fund also made a generous gift of $50,000 to The After-School Corporation (TASC), a nonprofit organization that develops and supports after-school programs that improve kids’ school engagement, motivation and achievement, and keep kids safe while their parents work. The donation will support TASC as it advocates to change public policy and achieve fair funding for after-school, so that all kids from all backgrounds can have transformative experiences beyond school hours.

The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a charitable organization committed to providing children in need with access to life-enriching afterschool programs that inspire children to be smart, strong and socially responsible. To date, JCPenney and the JCPenney Afterschool Fund have contributed more than $70 million to local afterschool programs in every JCPenney community through partnerships with the YMCA of the USA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National 4-H and United Way of America.

Through August 16, the Manhattan store will participate in the nationwide JCPenney Afterschool Round-Up, in which customers are invited to "round up" the total cost of their purchases to the next whole dollar, with 100 percent of the donation going to support after-school programs. All Round-Up donations collected at the Manhattan JCPenney will go to the Children's Aid Society of New York.

More than 40 children who attend after-school programs through the Children's Aid Society received $100 gift cards to shop for back-to-school clothes and supplies following grand opening ceremonies for the store. The company donated an additional $5,000 to the nonprofit organization.

"JCPenney is exactly the kind of new neighbor New York City needs – the kind of neighbor who cares about kids and watches out for them when the school day ends," said Lucy N. Friedman, the President of TASC. "We have long counted JCPenney as a steadfast leader in the movement to reach every child who would benefit from attending an after-school program. We thank JCPenney Afterschool Fund for this timely and generous donation, and I know New York City families will join me in welcoming a great new partner to the heart of Manhattan."

JC Penney will continue to celebrate the opening of its store near Herald Square with two months of events and celebrations. A full list of events can be found on the JC Penney Manhattan Web site.

Contact: Susan Brenna; sbrenna@tascorp.org or (646) 943-8712