Seeking to stimulate change in Denver’s Lincoln La Alma neighbourhood, the JPMorgan Chase Foundation expects to make more than $500,000 in grants through 2010 to help students, teachers and families. The grants – and the new JPMorgan Chase Future Center – were announced today at West High School with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennett and other community leaders.
“Chase can make the biggest difference for Lincoln La Alma families by focusing our efforts on a specific neighbourhood and working hand in hand with key organizations and community leaders there,” says Todd Munson, president of Chase in Colorado. “We targeted Lincoln La Alma and then identified organizations that share our priorities of education, community development and access to the arts.”
Lincoln La Alma is one of Denver’s oldest and most complex neighbourhoods. Its proximity to downtown, the Auraria Higher Education Center and the Santa Fe Arts District create tremendous long-term potential. But its poverty, low educational attainment and low home ownership rates challenge Lincoln La Alma’s stability, prompting public companies and private organizations to combine their efforts.
Denver’s Office of Strategic Partnerships selected Lincoln La Alma for neighbourhood revitalization, which persuaded Chase leaders to invest there. Chase is backing the Denver Scholarship Foundation’s decision to place one of its 12 Future Centers at West High School. The bank’s donation earned it naming rights for the JPMorgan Chase Future Center, which serves as an in-school resource for high school students considering college and the world of work.
“We know that civic involvement is always important, but it is even more essential in Lincoln La Alma during this challenging economy,” says Munson. “Together, we will help educate and train the next generation of workers.”
D.C.