PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
As part of its ongoing commitment to give back to the community, Citizens Bank has again partnered with the Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) to donate a newly renovated, mortgage-free house in Pittsburgh to a combat-wounded military veteran.
The Penn Hills home – renovated by Citizens Bank colleagues and donated by the bank as part of its commitment to provide shelter to those in need in the community – was presented today to Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Shawn Jones for his honorable military service as a combat engineer. Jones sustained combat injuries during his deployment to Afghanistan. Recognition for his service includes a Combat Action Badge, Army Commendation Medal (2), Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
“We are proud to honor Shawn’s brave service by providing him with a home that has been refurbished with pride and great care,” said Brad Conner, vice chairman and head of Consumer Banking, Citizens Bank. “At Citizens Bank our colleagues are committed to supporting the communities where we live and work, and we are truly excited to have helped renovate this home for Shawn.”
“The donation of this property by Citizens Bank advances our efforts to provide support to our nation’s heroes as they transition out of the military and into their new civilian life,” said Kathy Feeney, executive advisor for MWSF. “Thanks to the contributions of partners like Citizens Bank, we are changing lives for the better, not just for members of our armed services and their families, but for generations that follow.”
At a ceremony today, more than 60 Citizens colleagues lined the street to welcome Jones to his new home. Representatives from Citizens Bank and Military Warriors Support Foundation presented the keys to Shawn and led him on a tour of his new home. This year’s donation will provide two veterans with a place to call home, with Shawn’s current roommate joining him at the new house in Penn Hills.
In addition to the home, Citizens Bank colleagues, together with long-time partner Giant Eagle, presented Shawn with special gifts:
- The entirely refurbished home included brand new appliances provided by Citizens Bank
- A brand new shed with gardening tools provided by Citizens so Shawn can enjoy his favorite hobby
- A refrigerator stocked with food by the Giant Eagle team and a $500 gift card for groceries, plus a year of free car washes at GetGo
- An outdoor grill and propane through partnership with Blue Rhino, as well as a patio set through a partnership with Adams Manufacturing
- Sports memorabilia provided by Giant Eagle, including signed banners from the Penguins – Shawn’s favorite team – Steelers and Pirates, and a signed hockey puck.
In addition to their time, Citizens Bank and Giant Eagle colleagues donated nearly $10,000 in gift cards to Home Goods, Home Depot, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target which will be used to purchase items to furnish the new house. Citizens Bank also had Shawn’s furniture delivered to his new home.
“Military Warriors Support Foundation together with Citizens Bank has changed my life drastically for the better, said Jones. “By awarding me this house my life becomes more stable. I have a place to call my own, where I can plant roots and raise a family.”
The donation represents a long-term commitment the bank has made to give back to the communities it serves through its Citizens Helping Citizens initiative. Citizens Helping Citizens Provide Shelter is one component of this program. During the past two years, Citizens Bank partnered with the Military Warriors Support Foundation to donate a home to a military family in Rhode Island and Michigan. As part of its Fund Your Dreams giveaway that will award $25,000 to fund customer and non-customer dreams, Citizens will donate as much as $25,000 to the Military Warriors Support Foundation.
For photos and videos of Shawn’s experience, visit the bank on Facebook or Twitter.
About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial
Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial
institutions, with $150.3 billion in assets as of March 31, 2017.
Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range
of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals,
small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and
institutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens helps its retail customers
“bank better” with mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact
center and the convenience of approximately 3,200 ATMs and approximately
1,200 Citizens Bank branches in 11 states in the New England,
Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Citizens also provides wealth
management, mortgage lending, auto lending, student lending and
commercial banking services in select markets nationwide. In Commercial
Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit
clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services
including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services,
foreign exchange and interest hedging, leasing and asset finance,
specialty finance and trade finance. Citizens operates through its
subsidiaries Citizens Bank, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania as
Citizens Bank, Citizens Commercial Banking and Citizens One. Additional
information about Citizens and its full line of products and services
can be found at www.citizensbank.com.
About Military Warriors Support Foundation
Military Warriors
Support Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, founded by LTG.
Leroy Sisco (Ret), in 2007. Their mission is to provide support and
programs that facilitate a smooth and successful transition for our
Nation’s combat wounded heroes and Gold Star families. Their programs
focus on housing and homeownership, employment, as well as recreational
activities and transportation assistance. Through their
Homes4WoundedHeroes Program, they award mortgage-free homes to combat
wounded heroes injured while in service to our country. In addition to
the home, the families will receive three years of family and financial
mentoring. For more information, visit MilitaryWarriors.org.
CFG-CORP
CFG-CNS
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170513005004/en/
