Charter One Bank’s ‘Making Music Matter’ program to Benefit Meals on Wheels Chicago in July
Concert Series at Northerly Island venue to raise money for organization that helps the elderly and disabledCHICAGO (June 28, 2006) - Music and meals will again go hand-in-hand as Charter One Bank’s unique summer-long program “Making Music Matter” begins its second month with a roster of concerts during which funds will be raised to benefit Meals on Wheels Chicago.
Beginning with performances by Chicago and Huey Lewis & The News on Saturday, July 1, Charter One is asking concert-goers to make donations to Meals on Wheels Chicago at the Charter One Bank tent, located just inside the admission gates of the Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island. Volunteers from Charter One Bank and Meals on Wheels Chicago will be available in the tent to accept contributions. Charter One will match all donations raised during the month – up to a goal of $25,000.
Designed to build awareness and support for local community organizations, “Making Music Matter” recognizes and supports local not-for-profit organizations by collecting much-needed donations during select performances held at the Charter One Pavilion. In the program’s inaugural month of June, “Making Music Matter” generated more than $27,000 for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, thanks in part to a grant from the Charter One Foundation.
“Hunger is a serious and immediate concern in the Chicago area, and it is thankfully being addressed by many generous local organizations and tireless volunteers. Through Charter One Bank’s ‘Making Music Matter’ program we’re able to assist not-for-profit organizations, like Meals on Wheels Chicago,” said Christine Noel, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs. “With the generous support of concert-goers at the Charter One Pavilion, this program truly will make music matter by helping to provide meals to those in need throughout the Chicagoland community.”
Aiming in July to ease hunger among the senior segment of the population, Charter One Bank’s partnership with Meals on Wheels Chicago will bolster programs that allow area senior citizens to remain independent and self-sufficient in their own homes. Meals on Wheels Chicago provides recipients with complete lunches and dinners each day – carefully making nutritional modifications for individuals who require diabetic, low sodium or other special meal plans.
“We’re grateful to Charter One for increasing the visibility of and concern for the members of the community that we serve each day of the year,” said Bill Kaplan, board president of Meals on Wheels Chicago. “A program like ‘Making Music Matter’ helps our organization to continue supporting the elderly and disabled residents of Chicago – whether its through short-term assistance, home modification grants or daily meals delivered with a friendly smile.”
Other Charter One Pavilion shows featuring “Making Music Matter” efforts to assist Meals on Wheels Chicago include Fiona Apple and Damien Rice on Thursday, July 13 and O.A.R. on Saturday, July 15.
As an incentive to participate in the “Making Music Matter” program, Charter One will host drawings for iPod nanos among individuals who donate to Meals on Wheels Chicago at any of July’s featured concerts.
About Charter One Bank, N.A.
Charter One Bank, N.A., is a $41 billion bank operating in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. It has 480 branches and more than 800 ATMs. It has 128 branches and 389 ATMs in Illinois. Charter One is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $155 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. Citizens has more than 1,600 branches, approximately 3,700 ATMs and more than 26,000 employees in a 13-state retail branch network and has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. Citizens is the eighth-largest commercial banking company in the United States ranked by deposits as of September 30, 2005. Citizens is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).
About Meals on Wheels Chicago
Meals on Wheels Chicago’s mission is to ensure homebound senior citizens and disabled individuals are able to maintain dignified and independent lifestyles by providing them with warm, nutritious meals and related services. Meals on Wheels Chicago (also known as the Chicago Fund on Aging and Disability) began in 1987 as a joint private-public venture between the City of Chicago and concerned citizens. Working with Open Kitchens, a state-of-the-art food production facility, Meals on Wheels Chicago offers recipients a flexible and cost-efficient three-tiered food plan of hot, chilled and frozen meals. Since its inception in 1987, Meals on Wheels Chicago has served an estimated 10 million meals. For more information, visit www.mealsonwheelschicago.org.
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