CCA Suports 12 Middle Tennessee Nonprofit Organizations

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation’s largest corrections management provider and one of the leading publicly traded companies headquartered in Nashville, is donating $180,000 to 12 Middle Tennessee nonprofit organizations.

Each year, CCA’s Charitable Contributions Committee selects recipients from a competitive pool of nonprofit organizations whose missions complement the company’s charitable giving goal of serving ex-offenders, underprivileged youth and victims of crime or abuse. Following an annual call for proposals – which this year drew responses from more than 75 applicant organizations – a group of selected finalists made presentations to the committee and were awarded funding.

“Our company witnesses firsthand the damaging effects that abuse, neglect, substance abuse and lack of education have on our society, which can result in high incarceration levels,” said Louise Grant, CCA Vice President of Communications and chair of the company’s Charitable Contributions Committee. “CCA, both at our corporate headquarters and at our facilities nationwide, is committed to supporting charitable agencies that are bringing hope and solutions to youth and adults who have faced challenges and are seeking new opportunities for a better life. We are so fortunate in Middle Tennessee to have countless outstanding and deserving charitable organizations.”

CCA’s community outreach efforts continue year-round. Employees at the Nashville headquarters generously fund bi-monthly charitable drives that have benefited a range of causes, such as the March of Dimes of Middle Tennessee and the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee. In 2007, in addition to funding the grants awarded by the Charitable Contributions Committee, the company also donated more than $100,000 to other local area organizations, including Special Olympics, the United Way, the Pencil Foundation, Easter Seals of Tennessee and many others. Additionally, proceeds from the company’s annual Chairman’s Charity Golf Classic, now entering its 17th year, help fund the 12 nonprofit organizations to which CCA formally contributes this month.

“Our employees at the 65 CCA correctional centers give in so many meaningful ways,” Grant said. “In small towns and major metropolitan areas across the country, dedicated men and women volunteer for community events, raise funds for worthy causes and help families in times of need. CCA is committed to outreach, and many of our 17,000 employees share that same investment in public service.”

This year’s $20,000 recipients, who received $10,000 in early April and will receive the remaining funds in October at CCA’s 17th Annual Chairman’s Charity Golf Classic, are:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, Amachi Program, a mentoring program for inmates’ children. • CASA, Inc., a volunteer advocacy program for children of abuse and neglect. • Magdalene, a residential and support program for women after incarceration. • Men of Valor, a mentoring program for men during and after incarceration. • Miriam’s Promise, a program to help incarcerated mothers care for their unborn children. • Project Return, a program to transition ex-offenders back into society. • The Next Door, a program that provides residential housing and recovery support services to women re-entering society after incarceration. • Youth Encouragement Services, a program that enriches the lives of children in inner-city Nashville by providing an alternative to the streets.

This year’s $5,000 recipients, who received their contributions in early April, are:

• Nashville Inner City Ministry, a leadership training and life skills program for inner-city youth and their families. • Reconciliation Ministries, an agency that provides aid to families and children of incarcerated family members. • Salama Urban Ministries, an organization that helps families equip children and youth with the skills and values needed for life-long success. • 2nd Chances, a program that provides practical support services to male ex-offenders, including bus passes, gas cards, vouchers and GED testing fees.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters appreciates the ongoing support of CCA, which helps us continue making our streets safer through the impact of our evidence-based, one-to-one mentoring program,” said Lowell Perry, Jr., CEO, BBBS of Middle Tennessee. “When we encourage people and change their thinking, we also empower them and change their behavior – for the better.”