Mutual of America Announces Recipients of 2019 Community Partnership Award

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of America announced the recipients of its 2019 Community Partnership Award, which annually honors the outstanding contributions that 10 nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society.

"All of the organizations honored this year are leaders in society who create innovative and effective solutions to help those in need," said John R. Greed, Chairman, President and CEO of Mutual of America Financial Group. "Through the Community Partnership Award, Mutual of America is proud to recognize, support and help extend the reach of these vital organizations."

Each 2019 recipient is delivering solutions to critical challenges facing our country. These challenges include providing career opportunities to veterans, comprehensive resources to kinship caregivers, vision screenings to underserved populations and more.

About the National Award-Winning Program

This year's recipient of the Thomas J. Moran Award, which is presented to the national award-winning program, is the Survivor Advocate Program. In 2018, the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (Cast) created the program in partnership with Dignity Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The program places a Cast "survivor advocate" within Dignity Health's participating hospitals to help identify and support victims of human trafficking.

"Our role is to make sure that human rights isn't some sort of abstract concept that we fight for in other countries, but that it starts in our backyard," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. "I think that we will ultimately judge our successes not on our peaks, but how deep we go into our valleys to find those people who are left behind, who are hopeless and helpless, and make sure that they feel they belong here."

Actress and activist Freida Pinto joined Mayor Garcetti in a Mutual of America-produced documentary about the program. "Human trafficking is currently happening right under our noses in Los Angeles and around the world," said Pinto. "Whether it's an international crime organization or a small operation, people who look like upstanding citizens are not always that behind closed doors....trafficking does not discriminate based on gender, class, age or race."

2019 Award Recipients

Thomas J. Moran Award

• Survivor Advocate Program (Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Los Angeles, CA)

Honorable Mention Award

• Center for Driver's License Recovery (Wisconsin Community Services, Inc., Milwaukee, WI)
• Mobile Dental Unit (WV Health Right, Inc., Charleston, WV)

Merit Finalist Award

• Advanced Manufacturing for Young Veterans (Workshops for Warriors^®, San Diego, CA)
• Arizona's Kinship Support Services (Arizona's Children Association, Tucson, AZ)
• Citywide Charitable Bail Fund (The Liberty Fund, New York, NY)
• Family Engagement Liaisons (Beyond Housing, St. Louis, MO)
• HabiCorps (Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, Baltimore, MD)
• Recycling Avenue (Avenues to Independence, Park Ridge, IL)
• Seeing the Future: Vision Health Initiative (Care For the Homeless, New York, NY)

Since 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 240 partnerships from cities and towns across America. To watch videos of all of the national award-winning programs, visit the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award channel on YouTube.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America is a leading provider of retirement products, offering personalized service at a competitive price to help plan participants and individuals build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. Integrity, prudence and reliability are the values that have guided us since our inception in 1945 and that continue to serve us well. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com, and connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Mutual of America