$3.5 Million Grant From JCPenney Afterschool Fund Helps YMCAs Reach More Youth During Afterschool Hours

CHICAGO, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The JCPenney Afterschool Fund has awarded a grant to YMCA of the USA totaling more than $3.5 million to help YMCAs across the country serve more children in safe, life-enriching afterschool programs.

The grant is specifically targeted to help YMCAs provide financial assistance to youth who are not participating in an afterschool program because their families lack the necessary financial resources, or to youth who are at risk of leaving due to lack of funds. Beginning this month, YMCAs are able to apply for a portion of the funds to be allocated locally toward afterschool financial assistance for the 2008-2009 academic year.

In addition to this grant, JCPenney Afterschool Fund is contributing additional resources to more than 500 YMCAs through proceeds from JCPenney's 2008 Afterschool Round-Up initiative. Round-Up provides JCPenney store customers the opportunity to make donations at the cash register by rounding up their purchase total to the next whole dollar. The JCPenney Afterschool Fund, in turn, donates the store's Round-Up collections to a local afterschool program in that store's community to help provide life-enriching afterschool programs for children in need.

"The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is firmly committed to supporting youth-serving organizations like the YMCA that are dedicated to providing safe, meaningful programs during the crucial hours of 3 to 6 p.m., when studies show that youth are at a greater risk of involvement in crime, drug abuse and other destructive behaviors," said Jodi Gibson, president of the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. "By combining resources, we can help reduce the number of unserved youth and ensure that students of all backgrounds and income levels are able to benefit from afterschool programs."

Complementing the JCPenney Afterschool Fund's support is a separate gift to YMCA of the USA from the J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc. A total of 7,190 JCPenney gift cards worth $50 each will be given to children receiving financial assistance from the JCPenney Afterschool Fund grant and from Round- Up to help with the purchase of school clothing and supplies for the new school year. Gifts from both entities total nearly $3.9 million.

"The generous support of the JCPenney Afterschool Fund and JCPenney enhances our efforts to serve as many children as possible with meaningful, high-quality afterschool programming," said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of YMCA of the USA. "They believe, as we do, that children are our greatest asset and by working together we can not only keep children safer, but also help provide them with lasting benefits, including healthier lifestyles, improved social skills and an enhanced academic performance."

Today with nearly 10,000 afterschool programs across the country, the nation's YMCAs are a leading resource for parents looking to find engaging and fun afternoon activities for their children. Most YMCA afterschool programs include elements that promote health and well-being, social skill development, emotional development, artistry, character development, sports and service.

ABOUT THE JCPENNEY AFTERSCHOOL FUND: The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a charitable organization committed to advancing the afterschool movement in JCPenney communities by increasing access for children in need, inspiring innovation in the field, and elevating awareness of the value of afterschool programs. Currently, more than 14 million youth in America are unsupervised every day between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Through partnerships with the YMCA of the USA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National 4-H and United Way of America, the JCPenney Afterschool Fund helps prepare children to reach their full potential by providing them with essential afterschool opportunities.

ABOUT J. C. PENNEY CORPORATION, INC.: JCPenney is one of America's leading retailers, operating 1,073 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation's largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the company's commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. The company posted revenue of $19.9 billion in 2007 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry. Key to this strategy is JCPenney's "Every Day Matters" brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the company's 155,000 Associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with JCPenney.

THE YMCA: A LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO HEALTH OF SPIRIT, MIND AND BODY: The nation's 2,663 YMCAs serve nearly 20.2 million people each year, including 9.4 million children under the age of 18. Through a variety of programs and services focused on the holistic development of children and youth, health and well-being for all and family strengthening, YMCAs unite men, women and children of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. From urban areas to small towns, YMCAs have proudly served America's communities for nearly 160 years by building healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Visit http://www.ymca.net/ to find your local YMCA.

CONTACT: Diane Hurles Julie Berkhouse Donor Relations Manager Vice President YMCA of the USA JCPenney Afterschool Fund 312-419-8374 972-431-4183 Cell: 312-758-6397 jberkhou@jcpenney.com diane.hurles@ymca.net