Points of Light and The Walt Disney Company Call for Daily Point of Light Award Nominations for Families

Points of Light and The Walt Disney Company will celebrate the impact of family volunteering across the nation by honoring exemplary family volunteers with a Daily Point of Light Award. The award recognizes their commitment to volunteering as a family. The call for nominations opens today and nominations will be reviewed on an ongoing basis through October 7. Awards will be presented during the months and days leading up to Family Volunteer Day on November 19. Disney, a proud supporter of the Daily Point of Light Award and Family Volunteer Day, has worked with Points of Light for more than 20 years to help mobilize the nation into action through volunteerism and service.

“We believe the more Daily Point of Light Award stories we are able to share about the different ways people can be a Point of Light, the closer we get to everyone seeing themselves in these stories so they, too, can become inspired and equipped to take action that changes the world,” said Delores Morton, President of Programs, Points of Light. “Together, we will realize the Points of Light vision – one day, every person will discover their power to make a difference, creating healthy communities in vibrant, participatory societies.”

The Daily Point of Light award celebrates the power of people to spark change and improve the world. Honored families will be featured on pointsoflight.org, receive media support and a certificate signed by President George H. W. Bush, who started the award 25 years ago. These honorees will join previous Daily Point of Light Award honorees, like a family of eight that was honored for their collective efforts to revitalize a community center and a husband and wife who received their Daily Point of Light Award at the White House in honor of their work fighting hunger.

Family Volunteer Day is powered by generationOn, the youth service division of Points of Light. The Day encourages families to volunteer together to help strengthen their neighborhoods, communities and the world. Each year, thousands of families use the day to teach children valuable real-life lessons about compassion and caring. The families that we will select to receive the Daily Point of Light Award will offer inspiration and concrete ideas for other families who want to make a difference in their communities.

“Service is a great way to help bring families together while taking action to make the world a better place,” said Kathy Saulitis, SVP, generationOn. “Research shows that volunteering benefits kids, families and communities and is a powerful way to teach youth valuable real-life lessons about empathy and caring. We are excited to recognize the power of families who volunteer together with these special Daily Point of Light Awards.”

Award nominations for family volunteers can be submitted online through Friday, October 7, 2016, at pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination. To be eligible, family members must be U.S. citizens or residents and engage in nonpaid volunteer service for at least six consecutive months, except in the case of disaster or crisis services. Nominees will be evaluated based upon their impact on a community need and their potential to serve as a model for other families interested in volunteering together. For complete details about award criteria and to learn about previous honorees, visit pointsoflight.org/dailypointoflight.

About Points of Light:

Points of Light – the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages more than 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it matters most. For more information, go to pointsoflight.org.

About generationOn:

generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light, is dedicated to providing programs and resources that support the development of caring, compassionate and capable kids and teens, through service, empowering them to become change makers in their communities and the world. For more information, visit generationon.org.

Points Of Light Honors Changemakers in Detroit at Annual Conference on Volunteering and Service

Points of Light awarded three inspirational changemakers from around the country with the Daily Point of Light Award at the 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service. Among the awards was a posthumous recognition of the late Muhammad Ali, Olympic professional boxer and world champion humanitarian, activist and philanthropist. Lonnie Ali, his wife, accepted the Daily Point of Light award in his honor.

“In unique and powerful ways, each of these individuals has changed hearts and minds, and lives building more vibrant and compassionate communities around the world,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO, Points of Light. “Their passion and dedication will always be recognized as bright points of light.”

Daily Point of Light awards were also given to recognize Yara Shahidi, who is the co-star of the hit TV show “Black-ish,” and a scholar and philanthropist. Veronika Scott, CEO of The Empowerment Plan, also received the award for her innovative design of a coat that transforms into a sleeping bag to provide shelter to the homeless and, through its production, provide jobs to homeless parents in Detroit. They join nearly 6,000 honorees since the award’s creation.

Point of Light Awards are given five days a week to honor individuals and groups creating meaningful change in communities, often providing long-term solutions to social problems. President George H. W. Bush was the first president in American history to institute a daily presidential recognition program from the White House. In 2013, the 5,000^thaward was presented at a special ceremony at the White House with President Barack Obama and President George H. W. Bush co-presenting. Today, Points of Light awardees still receive a signed certificate and letter from President Bush. In 2014, this nonpartisan award was adopted by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom where over 500 British citizens have now been recognized for their extraordinary volunteer efforts.

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities across more than 30 countries and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

About the Conference on Volunteering and Service

Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service is the world’s largest service-related convening of nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders. With The UPS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase as the title sponsors, the 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service was held June 27 – June 29 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, go to www.volunteeringandservice.org and follow us at #ServiceUnites or on Facebook.

Most Civic-Minded Companies Show Community Engagement Linked To Corporate Success

America’s largest corporations are increasingly turning good intentions into sound business practices. That’s the promising bottom-line from an analysis of the 2016 Civic 50, the annual Points of Light initiative that recognizes and honors the 50 most community-minded companies in America. In the continuing shift to go beyond checkbook philanthropy, this year’s Civic 50 honorees affirm the trend that companies are supporting community engagement through policies, core business functions, and incentives that indicate sustainable long-term commitment to addressing community challenges.

“We are at the beginning of a boom in corporate social responsibility,” said Neil Bush, chairman of the board of Points of Light, the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service. “Corporations are putting policies in place that prioritize connection with communities. They’re seeing a positive effect through meaningful engagement with community members, increases in employee satisfaction and morale, and positive feedback from consumers.”

“This year’s Civic 50 honorees demonstrate how much they value the relationships they have with the communities in which they do business, and truly understand how important purpose is to both their employees and consumers,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO of Points of Light. “They are as results oriented in their corporate citizenship as they are in their bottom line: 78% are measuring the social impact of their community involvement and 90% solicit community feedback through focus groups or community meetings.”

Key highlights from the 2016 Civic 50 include:

A combined 10,300,000 volunteer hours and $1,800,000,000 contributed to communities around the country from the 2016 Civic 50 companies
One out of every four volunteer hours in 2016 were skills-based
90% of all Civic 50 companies actively solicited feedback through focus groups or community meetings
56% included community engagement in employees’ performance reviews
74% used community engagement to support their diversity and inclusion goals

The 2016 honorees will be recognized at an awards luncheon in Detroit, Michigan, during the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service. The Civic 50 honorees for 2016, in alphabetical order, are:

AbbVie
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Aetna Inc.
Alcoa
Altria *Consumer Staples Sector Leader
Apollo Education Group
AT&T *Communications Sector Leader
Baxter International Inc.
Caesars Entertainment
Capital One
Citi
Comcast NBCUniversal
Comerica Incorporated
CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer
Deloitte
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Eli Lilly and Company
Entergy
FedEx Corporation
Ford Motor Company
Freeport-McMoRan *Materials Sector Leader
General Mills
Hasbro, Inc. *Consumer Discretionary Sector Leader
Health Care Service Corporation
Hewlett Packard *Technology Sector Leader
IHS
Intel Corporation
KeyBank
KPMG LLP *Industrials Sector Leader
MGM Resorts International
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company *Utilities Sector Leader
PIMCO
Prudential Financial Inc.
PwC
Raytheon Company
S&P Global
SAP
State Street Corporation
Steelcase
Symantec Corporation
The Hershey Company
Time Warner Inc.
Toyota Financial Services *Financials Sector Leader
TSYS
UnitedHealth Group *Health Care Sector Leader
UPS
Valero Energy Corporation *Energy Sector Leader
Verizon
Wells Fargo

Now in its fourth year, The Civic 50 survey evaluates participating companies based on four dimensions: investment, integration, institutionalization, and impact.

Trends from the 2016 Civic 50 include:

The 2016 Civic 50 companies are translating good intentions into sound business practices. They achieve this by shaping strategies and policies to prioritize meaningful engagement with communities. In fact, the most growth in this year’s Civic 50 cohort was in the dimensions that emphasize connecting community engagement with core business functions (Integration), creating a culture of community engagement (Institutionalization), and measuring impact (Impact), while the Investment dimension remains strong.
Civic 50 companies are increasingly connecting purpose with profit. The top five business functions that Civic 50 community engagement programs support are: diversity and inclusion, marketing/PR, skills development, stakeholder relations and employee engagement. 74% of Civic 50 companies have a formal strategy that uses community engagement to support diversity and inclusion goals, an increase from 62% in 2014. 50% use community engagement to support skill development for employees, an increase from 46% in 2014.
Companies are building a culture of community engagement. Civic 50 companies are doing the hard work of building more community-minded companies by adopting policies, systems and incentives to support community engagement. For example, 56% of Civic 50 companies included community engagement as a formal written component of employees’ performance reviews to emphasize community engagement as a key value. This is an increase from 50% in 2014. Additionally, 90% of Civic 50 companies have a formal, structured effort to actively solicit community feedback such as a survey, focus group or community meeting.
Companies are using time and talent to accelerate social impact through skills-based volunteering. Recognizing the value of contributing time and talent to community organizations, Civic 50 companies are increasingly maximizing the impact of community engagement through skills-based volunteering. Nearly 25% of employee volunteer hours at Civic 50 companies is skills-based, an increase from 20% in 2014.
Measuring impact is the key to ensuring impactful and sustainable community engagement programs. Companies continue to evaluate community engagement programs by measuring what matters: business and social impact. 78% of Civic 50 companies formally measure the social impact of at least one aspect of their community engagement. 40% measured the outcome of their volunteer programs, an increase from 36% in 2014. 50% measure the business impact of their community engagement work on diversity and inclusion goals, and 42% measure the impact on employee engagement.

Points of Light has published a report with full analysis of the 2016 Civic 50 data, best practices and thought-leader essays. The report, titled The 2016 Civic 50: Turning Good Intentions into Sound Business Practices, and a corresponding infographic, are available at www.Civic50.org

Any company with annual revenue of $1 billion or more is invited to participate in The Civic 50. A panel of academic advisors partnered to strengthen Civic 50 survey content, questions and evaluation. The survey was administered by True Impact and analyzed by VeraWorks.

The Civic 50 is an alphabetical listing but this year’s survey also ranked the top scoring companies across 10 sectors: communications, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, materials, technology and utilities. Sector leaders are marked above.

About Points of Light

Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages four million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people where it’s needed most. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org.

About True Impact

True Impact provides web-based tools and consulting support to help organizations measure the social, financial, and environmental return on investment (ROI) of their programs and operations. For more information, visit www.trueimpact.com.

About VeraWorks

VeraWorks is a global consulting firm that helps managers and companies offer employees the opportunity to do societal good through their everyday jobs. For more information, visit www.veraworks.com.

Two Startups Addressing Digital and Financial Inclusion Each Receive $50,000 Investments from the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator announced today that it will invest $50,000 each in New York On Tech and PYT Funds – one nonprofit and one for-profit startup. Both are creating greater opportunities for all to succeed in the digital economy by launching new models to increase financial and digital inclusion.

“With the support of our corporate partners, faculty and mentors, we helped accelerate 13 leading impact entrepreneurs from across the country who are increasing opportunities for underserved, underbanked, and underemployed individuals and families. We are excited to see the results from our 87 graduated teams who have so far generated $31.5 million dollars in revenue and reached 4.2 million individuals to solve social problems. Together, we are disrupting what it means to be an engaged citizen and are pleased to welcome these innovators to the Points of Light network.” – Ayesha Khanna

The Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The goal of the accelerator is to equip each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovations.

The investment came at the end of the program’s seventh boot-camp-style startup program and investment fund. Initially launched in 2012, The Civic Accelerator receives generous support from the PwC Charitable Foundation, a founding partner, and Capital One. These two sponsors are joined by Vodaphone, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide.

For the Spring 2016 program, the Civic Accelerator convened 13 startups over 10 weeks for three in-person, boot camp sessions in Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington DC, in addition to an in-depth virtual curriculum. The participants themselves selected the two ventures that will receive $50,000 investments.

We have evolved our approach to focus on design challenges which allows us to refine the accelerator’s model to convene like-minded founders, mentors and partners concentrated on one issue area. The ventures are diverse and include models driven by financial technology, mobile applications, and innovative software. Others seek to empower communities through workforce development, job skills training and financial literacy.

New York On Tech, a nonprofit based in New York City, is committed to creating pathways into the technology industry for underrepresented students.

“New York On Tech is honored that the Spring 2016 cohort selected us for the $50K non-profit investment. We are elated to be a part of the CivicX family with ventures that are leaving a lasting impact in the communities they serve,” shared New York on Tech co-founders Jessica Santana and Evin Robinson.

PYT Funds Inc. (Pay Your Tuition), a Silver Spring, Maryland, based for-profit, is a debt reductions model for student loans that funds the gap for education at lower interest rates by using predictive data to assess risk.

“PYT Funds is happy that Points of Light and our fellow peers selected our team for the investment,” shared Stacie Whisonant, PYT Funds CEO and Founder. “As we ramp up to help as many students as possible this summer, this investment will support our growth to build additional technology infrastructure to capture our target market.”

Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator, added: “With the support of our corporate partners, faculty and mentors, we helped accelerate 13 leading impact entrepreneurs from across the country who are increasing opportunities for underserved, underbanked, and underemployed individuals and families. We are excited to see the results from our 87 graduated teams who have so far generated $31.5 million dollars in revenue and reached 4.2 million individuals to solve social problems. Together, we are disrupting what it means to be an engaged citizen and are pleased to welcome these innovators to the Points of Light network.”

In its fourth year, the Civic Accelerator has invested $700,000 in U.S.-based social entrepreneurs and has paired 87 teams with more than 150 mentors, partners and strategic advisors.

The graduated ventures in the Spring 2016 Class are:

Autism Expressed (Philadelphia, PA, For-profit) is a learning platform teaching marketable skills to empower individuals with disabilities like autism.

Benefit Kitchen (Brooklyn, NY, For-profit) is a benefit screening and financial literacy tool that provides to-the-dollar eligibility information to low-income families who need help making ends meet.

Credit Do (New York, NY, Nonprofit) is on a mission to deliver the first debt-free generation and aims to break the cycle of financial exclusion specific to youth’s patterns with credit cards, work opportunity and affordability of college.

eCredable (Alpharetta, GA, For-profit) connects consumers without credit to affordable financial services from mainstream providers.

EveryoneOn (Washington, D.C., Nonprofit) aims to eliminate the digital divide by making high-speed, low-cost Internet, computers, and free digital literacy training accessible to all unconnected Americans.

HT Mobile Apps (Detroit, MI, For-profit) is a FinTech company that creates software to help financial institutions stay relevant and fun.

LaborX (Oakland, CA, For-profit) is the LinkedIn for the LinkedOut, connecting high need populations with living wage jobs.

LearnLux (Boston, MA, For-Profit) helps Millennials learn personal finance skills through online learning tools and connects them to the resources they need to take action.

Live It To Learn It (Chicago, IL, Nonprofit) combines financial literacy classes with access to relevant financial services through the first ever teen credit union, Money Locker.

New York On Tech (New York, NY, Nonprofit) is committed to creating pathways into the technology industry for underrepresented students.

Operation Spark (New Orleans, LA, Nonprofit) rapidly prepares low opportunity individuals for careers in software development through immersive training.

PYT Funds (Silver Spring, MD, For-profit) is a debt reduction model for student loans. By using predictive data to assess risk, PYT is able to fund the gap for education at a lower interest rate.

TechCongress (San Francisco, CA, Nonprofit) is building a 21^st century Congress with technology talent, training and ideas.

About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation, a founding partner, and Capital One. These two sponsors are joined by Vodaphone, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

About PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc.
The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc., a section 501(c)(3) organization, makes charitable contributions to the people of PwC in times of financial hardship, and to nonprofit organizations that support and promote education and humanitarianism.

About Capital One
Capital One Investing for Good is committed to enhancing the well-being of individuals and families in local communities. They focus on financial wellbeing, affordable housing, skills for the 21^st century and small business development. All four areas of focus strengthen communities and prepare them for robust economic futures. To learn more visit www.capitaloneinvestingforgood.com or follow them on Twitter at @yourfutureedge.

Points of Light Conference Convenes in the Motor City Bringing Together Thousands of Global Changemakers

The 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service kicks off on Monday, June 27, at Detroit’s Cobo Center. The conference, the largest of its kind in the world, brings together nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders from across the globe to learn, connect and be inspired. Thousands of service-minded attendees from across the United States and 36 countries will gain the knowledge, resources and connections needed to galvanize the power of people in their own communities to create change. The conference will run through June 29.

“Detroit is the perfect place for the changemaking sector to come together – it is a shining example of how social innovation, cross-sector collaboration and citizen engagement can drive change,” said Tracy Hoover, president and CEO, Points of Light. “The city sets an inspiring backdrop for learning from those leading transformation in Detroit and all over the world, sharing what works to impact critical issues, and connecting to solve shared problems.”

Headline speakers include singer-songwriter and humanitarian Maya Azucena; UPS chairman and CEO David Abney; Tonya Allen, The Skillman Foundation’s president & CEO; Dave Bing, former mayor of Detroit and Hall of Fame basketball player; Neil Bush, chairman of Points of Light; Phillip Cooley, co-owner of Slows Bar BQ & Ponyride; Mike Duggan, mayor of Detroit; Rabbi Dorit Edut, president of the Detroit Interfaith Outreach Network; Mike Ellison, actor, recording and performance artist; Tracy Hoover, CEO of Points of Light; Hill Harper, award-winning actor on “CSI:NY” and “Limitless”, philanthropist, and best-selling author; Dhani Makalani Jones, former NFL linebacker; William F. Jones, Jr., CEO of Focus: HOPE; Asia Newson, Detroit’s youngest entrepreneur and CEO and co-founder of Super Business Girl; Jean Oelwang, president of Virgin Unite; Alessandra Orofino, executive director and co-founder of Our Cities; Brittany Packnett, executive director of Teach for America andmember of President’s Task Force on 21^st Century Policing and the Ferguson Commission; Jackie Parker, president of the GM Foundation; Pat Pontius, executive director of White House Council Strong Cities Strong Communities; Veronika Scott, founder of The Empowerment Plan; Yara Shahidi, scholar, philanthropist and actress on ABC’s award-winning series “Black-ish”; Michael Smith, special assistant to the President and senior director of Cabinet Affairs for My Brother’s Keeper at the White House; Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service; Tosha Tabron, vice president, relationship manager of JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Christian Vanizette, founder of Make Sense; and Lonnie Ali, the wife of the late Muhammad Ali, who will join us for a special tribute to her husband’s life work as a humanitarian and global changemaker.

The UPS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase are co-title sponsors of this year’s event. The conference offers 11 learning tracks featuring more than 100 workshops led by highly-respected experts offering innovative solutions and lessons. Participants will gain knowledge about concrete strategies to impact critical issues including community resiliency, education, economic opportunity, and disaster response and recovery. The conference business track will reveal and explore winning strategies to accelerate and grow corporate citizenship and volunteer programs.

Conference participants will fill 5,000 backpacks with school supplies and a healthy snack as part of a hands-on service opportunity sponsored by General Motors, an impact-level sponsor. The backpacks will be distributed throughout greater Detroit to children, grades K-12, during United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Meet Up and Eat Up events. These events are designed to provide children with access to free, nutritious meals throughout the summer. For more on this event, visit www.volunteeringandservice.org.

About Points of Light

About the Conference on Volunteering and Service

Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service is the world’s largest service-related convening of nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders. With The UPS Foundation and JPMorgan Chase as the title sponsors, the 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service will be held June 27-29 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, go to www.volunteeringandservice.org and follow us on Facebook.

Top Volunteer Initiatives from Across the Country Honored at the Make a Difference Day 2016 National Awards

Grassroot volunteer efforts from across the country were recognized today during the Make A Difference Day 2016 National Awards in Washington, DC. The annual luncheon was hosted by TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) and Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) in partnership with Newman’s Own, Inc. and Points of Light. Make A Difference Day is the largest day of community service, bringing together millions of Americans to volunteer in their local communities.

“Volunteerism was always important to Paul Newman and Newman’s Own is proud to support Make A Difference Day. By providing these awards, we not only recognize those who help make a difference in others’ lives, but we also hope to underscore the need for volunteerism in this country and inspire others to join in,” said David Best, president and COO of Newman’s Own, Inc.

The Make A Difference Day Awards celebrated top volunteer efforts from across the country for service projects completed on Make A Difference Day on October 24, 2015. The event recognized ten national award winners, three city award winners and one All-Star award winner. Newman’s Own donated a total of $130,000 to national and city award winners to give to an organization of their choice. The TEGNA Foundation and Gannett Foundation contributed $10,000 to the All-Star Winner. These donations will ensure that honorees are able to continue their community projects in the years to come.

“At TEGNA, our goal is to make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve. The volunteers recognized today have done just that. Their efforts in their local communities are truly remarkable and they inspire all of us to continue to make a difference every day,” said Gracia Martore, president and CEO, TEGNA.

“We are honored to recognize those who have taken the time and effort to make a positive impact in their community,” said Bob Dickey, president and CEO, GANNETT. “At GANNETT, our purpose is to empower our communities to connect, act and thrive, and we are humbled by these volunteers, who remind us how much one person can make a difference on an entire community.”

In addition to recognizing the national award winners, Bravo’s Andy Cohen was recognized for serving as an advocate for amfAR, The American Foundation for AIDS Research. The Emmy Award-winning host, producer and acclaimed author has been a tireless amfAR advocate for more than 10 years, helping raise money and bring awareness to finding a cure for HIV.

Lester Holt, award-winning journalist and anchor of “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” and “Dateline” served as the master of ceremonies.

“In celebrating these Make A Difference Day honorees, we can find inspiration to take action in our own lives,” said Tracy Hoover, CEO, Points of Light. “They remind us that we can use our special skills, our talents, our dollars or our tweets to create positive change every day. In return, the best part of service is that it awakens our passions and connects us to one another.”

This year’s Make A Difference Day award winners were selected from thousands of nationwide volunteer initiatives after millions of volunteers came together on October 24, 2015, with a common mission: to improve the lives of others. Award winners made an impact in their communities by rebuilding neighborhood parks, raising money for local food banks, planting trees and several other projects that made a positive impact in local communities.

The ten 2015 national Make A Difference Day Award honorees include:

Return of the Natives, Salinas, CA
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muncie, IN
Scrap Hunger, Lincroft, NJ
Animal Friends, Pittsburgh and Wexford, PA
The Pediatric Connection, Richmond, VA
Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA
GFWC Beverly hills Junior Women’s Club, Chicago, IL
Volunteer Center of Story County, Ames, IA
Stanwood High School, Stanwood, WA
Taking Root, Cincinnati, OH

The three 2015 City Award honorees are:

Richmond, CA
Moonachie, NJ
Aberdeen, SD

The All-Star Award is:

Operation Access, Sonoma County, CA

Make A Difference Day started after a call for a national day of service one Leap Year (February 29, 1992). It has evolved into the largest single day of volunteering in the country. It is a initiative of TEGNA and Gannett, in collaboration with Points of Light and Newman’s Own. Make A Difference Day 2016 will be held on Saturday, October 22. For more information and to read more about this year’s honorees, please go to www.makeadifferenceday.com.

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is comprised of a dynamic portfolio of media and digital businesses that provide content that matters and brands that deliver. TEGNA reaches more than 90 million Americans and delivers highly relevant, useful and smart content, when and how people need it, to make the best decisions possible. TEGNA Media includes 46 television stations and is the largest independent station group of major network affiliates in the top 25 markets, reaching approximately one-third of all television households nationwide. TEGNA Digital is comprised of Cars.com, the leading online destination for automotive consumers, CareerBuilder, a global leader in human capital solutions, and other powerful brands such as G/O Digital and Cofactor. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.

About Gannett

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a next-generation media company committed to strengthening communities across our network. Through trusted, compelling content and unmatched local-to-national reach, Gannett touches the lives of more than 100 million people monthly. With more than 120 markets internationally, it is known for Pulitzer Prize-winning newsrooms, powerhouse brands such as USA TODAY and specialized media properties. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com.

About Newman’s Own, Inc.

Newman’s Own, Inc., founded by Paul Newman in 1982, offers more than 200 varieties of great tasting food and beverage products including salad dressings, pasta sauces, coffee, salsa, cookies, candy, snacks, frozen pizza, frozen skillet meals, and refrigerated lemonades, as well as a line of premium pet food products. Newman’s Own Foundation continues Paul Newman’s commitment to donate all of its royalties and after tax profits from the sale of Newman’s Own products for charitable purposes. More than $460 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982. Learn more at newmansown.com and newmansownfoundation.org.

About Points of Light

For more information:

Steve Kidera, TEGNA Inc.

(703) 854-6077 or [email protected]

Chrissy Terrell, Gannett Co., Inc.

(703) 854-5292, [email protected]

Sinead Conlon, Coyne PR (for Newman’s Own, Inc.)
(212) 938-0166 or [email protected]

Jennifer Geckler, Points of Light
(404) 979-2941 or [email protected]

Points of Light Civic Accelerator Launches Spring 2016 Class – Invests in 13 Civic Ventures That Are Addressing Digital and Financial Inclusion

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator – the first national accelerator dedicated to investing in civic ventures – announced today the 13 ventures selected to participate in its Spring 2016 program. This will be the seventh cohort of the Civic Accelerator since its founding in 2012. The ventures come from across the U.S. and include for-profits and nonprofits that focus on digital and financial inclusion to help more people succeed in the digital economy.

The 13 teams will gather in Atlanta on April 11 for the start of an intensive, 10-week entrepreneur boot camp that includes mentoring, education, peer support and networking. Points of Light will offer two of the most promising ventures – as selected by the entrepreneurs themselves – a $50,000 investment following the conclusion of the program and the June 16 Demo Night event in Washington, D.C.

Application and selection committees screened more than 200 social ventures and reviewed 76 curated applications before selecting the top 30 finalists.

At the core of their missions, the chosen ventures are creating more opportunities for all to succeed in the digital economy. The solutions are diverse and include models driven by financial technology, mobile applications, and innovative software. Others seek to empower communities through workforce development, job skills training and financial literacy.

“We are excited to bring together such promising ventures focused on accelerating tech adoption and financial inclusion for low-income families, young adults and ethnic and racial minorities who are not benefitting from the economic recovery in the U.S.”, shared Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator. “This class includes innovative solutions — including workforce development, asset building, internet access, and developing personal finance and digital skills — to help individuals and families reach financial stability, obtain living wage employment and achieve economic mobility. We kick off in a few weeks and look forward to helping these teams and ventures succeed and grow in the months ahead”.

The civic startups participating in the Civic Accelerator Spring 2016 program represent California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. They are:

Autism Expressed (Philadelphia, PA, For-profit) is a learning platform teaching marketable skills to empower individuals with disabilities like autism.

eCredable (Alpharetta, GA, For-profit) connects consumers without credit to affordable financial services from mainstream providers.

EveryoneOn (Washington D.C., Nonprofit) aims to eliminate the digital divide by making high-speed, low-cost Internet, computers, and free digital literacy training accessible to all unconnected Americans.

HT Mobile Apps (Detroit, MI, For-profit) is a FinTech company that creates software to help financial institutions stay relevant and fun.

LaborX (Oakland, CA, For-profit) is the LinkedIn for the LinkedOut, connecting high need populations with living wage jobs.

LearnLux (Boston, MA, For-Profit) helps Millennials learn personal finance skills through online learning tools and connects them to the resources they need to take action.

Live It To Learn It (Chicago, IL, Nonprofit) combines financial literacy classes with access to relevant financial services through the first ever teen credit union, Money Locker.

New York On Tech (New York, NY, Nonprofit) is committed to creating pathways into the technology industry for underrepresented students.

Operation Spark (New Orleans, LA, Nonprofit) rapidly prepares low opportunity individuals for careers in software development through immersive training.

PYT Funds (Silver Springs, MD, For-profit) is a debt reduction model for student loans. By using predictive data to assess risk, PYT is able to fund the gap for education at a lower interest rate.

TechCongress (San Francisco, CA, Nonprofit) is building a 21^st century Congress with technology talent, training and ideas.

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About Points of Light
Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages more than 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year – we put people at the center of change. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation, a founding partner, and from Capital One, Vodaphone, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

42 Key Leaders Unite in Detroit for Points of Light Conference in June

Organizers of the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service, which provides the singular opportunity for thousands from around the world to come together to shape the future of volunteerism, today announced an influential and dynamic group of leaders to serve on the host committee for the annual Conference being held on June 27-29 in Detroit. Community leaders are uniting from across the Metro Detroit area and beyond to spearhead the Conference and share their time and talents to help shape this year’s themes and strategic goals of the Conference.

In addition, the host committee will assist with planning and promotion of speaker and celebrity engagements as well as a variety of exciting experiences – from live music to identifying the greatest needs in terms of potential service opportunities throughout the three days of conference. “I am thrilled to work with so many thoughtful and collaborative leaders that have a deep understanding of the Detroit area and its values of innovation and citizen engagement,” said Tracy Hoover, president and CEO, Points of Light. “Host committee members know what the city has to offer the volunteer sector and will bring both their unique and powerful civic experiences to continue to inspire the next generation of changemakers.” The following individuals have agreed to volunteer to serve as host committee members, with others expected to be named later:

Tonya Allen, President and CEO, Skillman Foundation
Angela Beckman, LMSW, Director, Volunteer Engagement, United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Carolyn Bloodworth, Director of Corporate Giving, Consumers Energy, Secretary/Treasurer, Consumers Energy Foundation
Donna Murray Brown, CEO, Michigan Nonprofit Association (co-chair)
Kyle Caldwell, Executive Director, Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy (co-chair)
Dan Carmody, President, Detroit Eastern Market
John C. Carter, Managing Director and Market Manager, Michigan Middle Market J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Sheilah P. Clay, President and CEO of Neighborhood Service Organization
Rob Collier, CEO, Council of Michigan Foundations (co-chair)
Tiffany Douglas, Senior Vice President, Market Manager, Bank of America
Dan Doyle, National Sales Manager, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Ed Egnatios, Program Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
David Eisner, President and CEO, Repair the World
Ben Falik, Director, Repair Communities Detroit, Repair the World
Joe Gaglio, Principal, Audit and Enterprise Risk Services, Deloitte & Touche LLP
Shelley Gitomer, Vice President, Philanthropy & Community Engagement, MGM Resorts International
Bill Hanson, Chief of Staff, Skillman Foundation
Ginna Holmes, Executive Director, Michigan Community Service Commission (co-chair)
Rich Homberg, CEO and President, WTVS, Detroit Public Television
Hassan Jaber, Executive Director, ACCESS
Luther Keith, Executive Director of ARISE Detroit
Mary L. Kramer, Vice President/Group Publisher, Crain’s Detroit Business
Janet Lawson, Director, Ford Motor Company Fund
Bryan Lively, Vice President, Sales and Customer Success, CrowdRise
Heidi Magyar, Director of Community Outreach at General Motors
Jenny McArdle, Chief Service Officer, Flint
Patricia McCann, Vice President, National Civic Affairs Manager, Comerica Bank
Susan Murphy, Vice President United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Mariam Noland, President, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Kari Pardoe, Associate Program Officer, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Jon Ramer, Founder, Compassion Games International
Willie Rytlewski, Director of Global Citizenship, The Dow Chemical Company
Debora Scola, Community Engagement Director, USA Today
Paula Speevak, President and CEO, Volunteer Canada
Michelle St. Pierre, Director of Marketing, St. Vincent de Paul
Shirley Stancato, President and CEO, New Detroit Inc.
Janice M. Tessier, Vice President, Manager of Corporate Contributions and President, Comerica Charitable Foundation
Chris Uhl, Vice President, Social Innovation Skillman Foundation
Brian Walker, Manager of Convention Services, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Bill Wenzell, Focus Hope
Alexis Wiley, Chief of Staff for the City of Detroit
Robert Wolfe, CEO, Crowdrise

For more on the 2016 Conference, visit www.volunteeringandservice.org.

About Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service

Points of Light’s Conference on Volunteering and Service is the world’s largest service-related convening of nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders. With The UPS Foundation as the title sponsor, the 2016 Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service will be held June 27-June 29 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. For registration, visit www.volunteeringandservice.org.

About Points of Light

Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages more than 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year – we put people at the center of change. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.

Points of Light Civic Accelerator Founder Ayesha Khanna Named to Foreign Policy Magazine’s List of Top 100 Global Thinkers

Ayesha Khanna, who created the Points of Light Civic Accelerator to support startups with social missions and citizen action, was recently named to Foreign Policy magazine’s Leading Global Thinkers of 2015, which includes heads of state, top minds in medicine and science, world-renowned artists and entrepreneurs at the forefront.

The magazine says of Khanna and the other honorees: “Just as the globe’s intractable problems aren’t confined neatly to the realms of politics and policy, neither are the individuals imagining innovative solutions.”

This spring, Khanna and her team are leading the seventh class of the Civic Accelerator, the country’s first accelerator program and investment fund supporting early-stage, civic ventures addressing critical social problems. This session will focus on creating greater access to financial and digital tools, technologies and services. The application period opened this week.

Foreign Policy magazine pointed to Khanna’s work guiding last spring’s class, which accelerated ventures that create greater opportunity for women and girls. Khanna shares the honor with Shannon Schuyler, head of corporate responsibility at PwC and president of the PwC Charitable Foundation, a founding supporter of the Civic Accelerator along with the Starbucks Foundation.

“This honor showcases the contributions of women entrepreneurs and, more broadly, the innovative ideas and sustainable solutions that come from diverse individuals who are working in their communities to solve these complex social issues around the world and need help to tap into capital and resources to scale their impact,” Khanna said. “I am thrilled to share this honor with a true leader from one of our corporate partners that is forging the way to lend their talent and resources to help these entrepreneurs and their civic ventures succeed.”

Schuyler said of Khanna, “I am consistently inspired by the work Ayesha spearheads with the Points of Light Civic Accelerator to provide female entrepreneurs with the education, tools, mentoring and investments they need to start ventures that drive sustainable social change. Last year I was honored to stand side by side with Ayesha in Chicago with a dozen emerging entrepreneurs looking to address some of the world’s most significant challenges in dynamic new ways. The PwC Charitable Foundation is proud to play a role, with Ayesha and Points of Light, in the elevation, education and enlightenment of so many disruptive, empowered and truly special change agents.”

Khanna, who joined Points of Light in 2010, has worked across sectors and led nonprofit, for-profit and political organizations. She incubated and is a director of Fuse Corps, which matches experienced fellows with mayors to drive innovation. She also led and transformed several leading nonprofits, including the YWCA and United Way, and worked with leading Fortune 100 companies while with Andersen Consulting Strategy (now Accenture) after teaching and building health care centers in central India.

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About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator
The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation and Starbucks Foundation, both founding partners, and from Capital One, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the Civic Accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

New Capital One and Points of Light Partnership Creates Opportunities in the Digital Economy

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator, the first national accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures,” has launched an application to call for innovative, early-stage social ventures with business models that focus on digital and financial inclusion to help more people succeed in the digital economy.

For the Digital & Financial Inclusion Challenge, the Civic Accelerator is pleased to announce that Capital One will join as the Spring Cohort Supporting Sponsor, along with founding supporters PwC Charitable Foundation and Starbucks Foundation. The Civic Accelerator receives additional support from Dentons, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide.

The national call for applications will build a class of 12-15 innovative, scalable ventures that focus on creating greater access to financial and digital tools, technologies and services. The founders of the selected ventures will convene for three weeklong sessions from April to June in Atlanta, San Francisco and Washington D.C., to participate in the Civic Accelerator’s rigorous curriculum founded upon rapid innovation and lean startup methodologies.

Through the Civic Accelerator and its partners, the participating entrepreneurs will connect with impact investors, expert advisers and mentors, and successful entrepreneurs in the financial technology and social enterprise space.

During the program and in between sessions, teams will work in peer groups and with mentors to test and validate customer segments, achieve important seed-stage milestones and apply skills and tools learned in the accelerator to their respective ventures. At the end of the program, the two most promising teams (one for-profit and one nonprofit) will each receive a $50,000 investment with a twist – the teams themselves ultimately decide who will receive the investments.

Capital One’s support of the Points of Light Civic Accelerator is part of its $150 million Future Edge initiative, a five-year effort designed to help more Americans to get the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. Visit www.capitalone.com/investingforgood to learn more or join the discussion on Twitter at @YourFutureEdge.

“We are thrilled to work with our corporate partners to identify and help accelerate breakthrough solutions to connect lower-income and disconnected individuals and communities with financial and digital tools and on-ramps to participate in the global economy. The solutions are many, from user-generated and peer-to-peer technologies, equitable access to financial services, to models that influence savings and spending habits,” said Ayesha Khanna, founder of the Civic Accelerator. “As we launch our next class, we will be leveraging a program that has been proven over six previous cohorts to produce truly scalable and innovative approaches to complex social issues.”

Notable Civic Accelerator alumni already addressing this challenge include Moneythink(winter 2012), Neighborly (summer 2013), Library for All (fall 2014), CODE2040 (spring 2014) and CareerVillage (winter 2012).

Applications will be open through February 26, 2016. The final teams participating in the spring 2016 program will be announced on March 28, 2016. To apply or for more information visit cvcx.org.

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About the Points of Light Civic Accelerator

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator is the first accelerator program and investment fund in the country focused on “civic ventures” – for-profit and nonprofit startups that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems. The three month, boot camp-style program convenes 10-15 teams in person and online with the goal of equipping each startup to seek investments and scale their social innovation. The Civic Accelerator was launched in 2012, in partnership with Village Capital, and receives generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation and Starbucks Foundation, both founding partners, and from Capital One, Dentons US LLP, Singing for Change and official hotel sponsor, Hilton Worldwide. Visit cvcx.org for more information or follow the accelerator on Twitter at @civicacceleratr and across social media at #CIVICX.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a Fortune 500 company with branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Its subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. We apply the same principles of innovation, collaboration and empowerment in our commitment to our communities across the country that we do in our business. We recognize that helping to build strong and healthy communities – good places to work, good places to do business and good places to raise families – benefits us all and we are proud to support this and other community initiatives. To learn more, visit www.capitaloneinvestingforgood.com.