After School Fund supports local children

When you shop at the Rio Grande JCPenney from April 10 through April 19 and round your purchase up to the next whole dollar, the JCPenney After School Fund will donate the difference to the Cape May County 4-H Youth Development Program.
The purpose of the funds is to provide children in Cape May County with access to life-enriching after school programs. 4-H agent B.J. Webersinn says about the fundraiser, “We in 4-H are very excited about this project and look forward to the opportunity to expand programming for our Cape May County youth. We’re fortunate to be able to work with the JCPenney After School Fund, which continues to identify new ways to engage our communities to help local children reach their full potential.”
“We realize that the after school issue is a cause close to the hearts and minds of our customers and associates,” said Scott Franklin, manager of JCPenney at Rio Grande.
“We are proud to work together with our customers and the 4-H Youth Development Program to provide children in this community with access to safe, life-enriching after school programs.”
Studies show that 14.3 million children in the United States are unsupervised after school between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day.
Additionally, studies show that youth are at greater risk of involvement in crime, drug abuse and other destructive behaviors during these hours. High-quality after school programs keep youth safe while fostering healthy lifestyles, improving social skills and enhancing academic performance.
To address this issue, JCPenney created the JCPenney After School Fund in 2001. Together JCPenney and the JCPenney After School Fund have contributed more than $70 million to support after school programs nationwide. The Cape May County 4-H Youth Development Program was added to the company’s approved list of charities in 2008.