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Press Release
San Fernando Valley ‘Hero’ Honored At Bank of America Event
LOS ANGELES, CA, November 14, 2005 – Adrian Diaz, a facility manager at the Phoenix Academy in Lake View Terrace, was one of ten individuals recently honored as a local hero by Bank of America at its Neighborhood ExcellenceInitiative (NEI) awards held at the Los Angeles Center Studios in downtown. The bank has committed more than $30 million to the initiative, a two-year program that recognizes, nurtures and rewards organizations, local heroes and student leaders in 38 of the bank’s major markets across the country.
Diaz was selected for his many contributions to the community, serving as a positive role model, and showing leadership in solving local issues.
“Sometimes we don’t have to look very far to recognize a hero in our midst. Adrian has been a hero to our organization and all the kids he has influenced throughout the years," explains Winnie Wechsler , executive director of Phoenix Houses of California, one of the state’s leading substance abuse organizations. “We thank Bank of America for recognizing Adrian’s contributions as well as other individuals and organizations that are true champions of their local communities."
A former gang member and drug user, Diaz coaches inner-city kids in sports and speaks to them about the dangers of drugs and gangs. He is involved in a gang prevention program for the San Fernando Valley, sharing his story and working with families facing the dangers of gangs, drugs and alcohol. He also volunteers extra time at work to mentor teens enrolled in the substance abuse treatment program there. He started his own extracurricular program five years ago that allows select kids to work alongside him to complete maintenance on the facility. The program not only teaches them new skills that can be used later in their lives, but it has proven to be a successful therapeutic tool for the kids who often open up to him about their problems, fears, and concerns.
Diaz has received various types of recognition from Phoenix House and several San Fernando youth programs, as well as numerous letters from grateful parents and kids. But when asked about awards or honors he has received, Adrian replies that the greatest award he can receive is “to see a kid succeed.”
Renowned for its effective long-term residential treatment programs, Phoenix House has touched the lives of California adolescents, adults, and their families for 25 years, helping them overcome the problems associated with substance abuse and empowering them with the skills to lead healthy, productive and rewarding lives. More than 2,500 individuals each day receive treatment at 29 Phoenix House programs throughout Southern and Central California. Phoenix House serves Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties with facilities located in Lake View Terrace, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Santa Fe Springs, Encinitas, Monrovia, and Venice.
The Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative
The Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative was developed to promote neighborhood excellence by identifying and then addressing local priorities for each community. This focus helps Bank of America meet the most pressing needs of each neighborhood by providing operating support and capacity building for nonprofit organizations, recognition for local leaders, and opportunities for young people who are addressing these issues in their communities.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 38 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,800 retail banking offices, more than 16,700 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 14 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 150 countries and has relationships with 97 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 79 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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Media contact:
Linda O'Hanlon
818-386-1916
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