FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More
Information, contact:
January 30, 2012
Karen
Jones
wHOM IT CONCERNS, INC.
(334)
450-4483
For
Information on Gives Day, contact:
Russell A. Jackson
Alabama
Gives Day Manager
(205) 936-3361 cell
russell@alabamagivesday.org
Alabama
Gives Day TO HELP wHOM IT CONCERNS, INC.
Birmingham, Ala. – On February 2, 2012 the Alabama Association of
Nonprofits, in partnership with the Alabama Broadcasters Association, is taking
one day to harness the power of individual contributions statewide. Never
before in our state have Alabamians had the opportunity to come together in
such a unique and synergized way to support hundreds of nonprofits like ours
during a dedicated day of giving.
Alabama Gives Day is supported by the
Razoo Foundation, the Alabama Press Association, Alabama Giving, Intermark
Group and hundreds of nonprofits in our state. Alabama Gives Day aims to make
history by connecting new and existing donors with hundreds of Alabama
nonprofits in just 24 hours; wHOM IT CONCERNS, INC needs your
support to ensure that the citizens of our community are aware of this day of
giving. Only through your support can we
together make history and raise much needed funding to support numerous nonprofits
located in our community! Will you please help raise awareness of Alabama Gives
Day on February 2nd?
What could be an historic event is with
one primary goal in mind: to help charitable organizations continue to provide
a broad spectrum of aid across the state. “The Alabama Broadcasters Association
is excited to participate in what will be an historic event for philanthropy in
our state and possibly across the nation. Alabama radio and TV stations will join
together in an effort to raise record amounts in gifts for charities across the
state in a 24-hour period,” said Sharon Tinsley, President of the Alabama
Broadcasters Association.
The History of the Gives Day Movement: The Gives Day
movement began three years ago in Minnesota as a means to increase philanthropy
and help grow the individual donor base of nonprofits. In 2011, Minnesota’s
Give to the Max day saw 47,538 donations totaling $13.4 million. Colorado Gives
Day recently had 52,000 donations totaling $12 million. Residents in other
communities that have organized a Gives Day have overwhelmingly shown their
support through donations, and while the immediate benefit is huge, the ripple
effects of giving have helped spur other philanthropic endeavors in those
communities. According to organizers in Minnesota, Colorado, North Texas,
Pittsburgh, Seattle and other communities with a Gives Day, a key ingredient to
their success has been through the support of the local media. “Rarely do local
TV, Radio and Newspaper groups have an opportunity to make such a large impact on
behalf of dozens of nonprofits in their local communities in just one day,”
said Russell A. Jackson, Gives Day Manager for Alabama. “Gives Day certainly
makes for an interesting news story but it’s more than that. This is a day to
help fuel the nonprofits that make our state such a great place to live and to
help jumpstart their 2012.”
How does Alabama Gives Day work? On February 2nd,
from midnight to 11:59pm, Alabamians will be driven to a dedicated online
giving portal at www.alabamagivesday.org
where they will choose to make a gift to one or more of the hundreds of participating
nonprofits. “Donors will choose the nonprofit(s) they want to support from a
list of 12 areas of interest, i.e. Children and Youth, Animals, Health,
Environment, etc.,” said Jackson. “It’s all about connecting them to the missions
they are most passionate about, and hopefully to a nonprofit they’ve never
supported.”
“Connecting individual donors to
nonprofits, while also promoting the safety and ease of online giving, is
critical to helping our nonprofits be sustainable,” said John Stone, President
and CEO for the Alabama Association of Nonprofits. “Never
before has an event of this magnitude taken place in our state. This will be a
defining moment for Alabama nonprofits participating in the event and the
impact will be felt far and wide. We’ve seen what Minnesota, Colorado and other
Gives Days have done, and with Alabama’s strong tradition of giving we believe
that history can be made on February 2nd.”
To learn more visit www.alabamagivesday.org
About Us
Whom It Concerns, Inc.
understands that in low income and rural areas there is almost nothing to keep
young people entertained. Recent school
closures and community centers especially those that were very active such as
Carver and Bellingrath Community Center leave little for youth to do and go
after school. As a result, we’ve seen an increase in youth
violence, drop-outs, runaways, and drug use in Montgomery, AL. Whom It Concerns, Inc. believes that the
reason young people turn to drugs and violence is because they don’t have
anything positive to do.
There is a strong need for a
teen Youth Program in Montgomery. Currently, there is little infrastructure in
Montgomery to support safe places for youth ages 13 – 18 to be during the
out-of-school hours. A shooting at
Gibbs Village in late August that killed two people – including
21-year-old Fam Bois rapper Jaderico
Langford. The Sept. 24th
Oak Park shooting that injured nine people, gunfire on
Oct. 15th near Cramton Bowl that injured one person, and
the melee that killed
another Fam Bois front man Desamuel Thomas, 20, and injured 10 other
people at a private event
at Island Lounge Oct. 30,2011. This led to the arrest of 11 suspects all of
them between the ages of 16 and 23 and most of them 20 or younger.
Montgomery’s young people have
experienced tremendous upheaval and transition during the two years because of
school consolidations and closings as well as closings of community
centers. The school closings and
consolidations, shift in principals and firing of principals on a continuous
basis throughout the school year also seems to be a factor. The school consolidations allowed for rival
schools to be housed together and overcrowding.
Yet as the city develops, youth programs are critical to address the
current lack of opportunities for older youth. Currently, only a handful of providers in Montgomery
work directly with this age group, offering youth an inadequate amount of
structured activities outside of school. Whom It Concerns, Inc. youth development
program is a new opportunity to engage youth across the city.
Many youth living in Montgomery
must thrive in a challenging environment. West Montgomery,comprises of many
housing projects, low income, and underdeveloped areas. Many students attending school have inadequate
books and supplies, unaddressed mental health needs, special education needs
and attend alternative school for over aged students. In addition to a critical lack of youth programs
and services, there are also barriers to youth employment and access to public
transportation. Many youth lack the necessary knowledge and skills,
particularly reading, math, and computer skills, to obtain viable employment.
Since its inception the
organization has provided number or programs and services that reflect its
vision of helping others, help themselves.
Our vision captures the essence of who we are. Everything we do flows
from our vision to Inspire, Educate, and Motivate individuals to become
self-sufficient, healthy, productive and successful. The plan is straightforward – create
something more for teenagers to do.
Your tax deductible contribution will assist in leasing a facility,
repairs, equipping the facility with computers, music, food, games, and
educational materials to create the Youthtopia
style facility.
Some of the
notable programs and services offered were Water for Haiti project in
collaboration with the citizens of the State of AL to send a million bottles of
water to Haiti after the earthquake. In
addition, locally our organization holds the Stay Beautiful, Stay Alive Breast
Cancer Awareness program in salons, Community Clean-Ups, Community
Revivals,9/11 Honor Those Who Serve, School Uniform Assistance, Cyberbullying
Workshops, State of the Black Community, and providing lunch for children in
low income areas during the Winter Break.