Horizons for Homeless Children
added as additional Boston beneficiary

BOSTON, May 9, 2011 — The 28th annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Boston will benefit Horizons for Homeless Children (HHC), meaning a sold-out crowd of participants will be running for two outstanding not-for-profit organizations.

HHC joins the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, announced on April 12, as the beneficiaries for this year's event in the Back Bay, June 2, at 7:15 p.m. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation, on behalf of the Corporate Challenge, will make a donation to both not-for-profits.

Horizons for Homeless Children provides homeless children in Massachusetts with the nurturing, stimulation, and opportunities for early education and play that all children need to learn and grow in healthy ways. HHC also connects the parents of the children served with the tools they need to achieve social and economic self-sufficiency.

HHC is one of only a few organizations in the country focused exclusively on the needs of young homeless children and their families, and it accomplishes its objectives through four programs: the Community Children's Centers, full-time child care and early education centers; the Playspace Programs, which engage children living in family shelters with educational activities and play; the Training and Technical Assistance Program, which provides consultative assistance to professionals and programs across the country; and the Policy and Advocacy Initiative, which provides leadership in championing issues affecting homeless children and families by advocating for these issues with policy makers and the public.

HHC was established in 1988 in response to the unmet needs of the alarming number of children living in Boston-area homeless shelters. It began providing family homeless shelters in Boston with Playspaces and trained volunteers in 1990, and has since expanded to provide these services to more than 2,200 children each week in 140 family shelters throughout Massachusetts.

The first Community Children's Center opened in Boston in 1994; there are now three, serving 175 young children and their families each day and more than 300 over the course of a year.

The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Boston is sold out, having reached a full capacity of 12,000 entrants now for 17 consecutive years.