Collaboration to assist 10 nonprofit
organizations serving Southeast
Michigan
DETROIT, Sept. 18,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica Bank and the Detroit
Lions are collaborating for the seventh consecutive year on a
season-long initiative that assists transformative and impactful
community partners throughout southeast Michigan. The Comerica
First Down Program ensures that every Lions first down gained
during the 2023 season at Ford Field will stretch well beyond 10
yards and reach those in need in the community.
"The First Down Program has been instrumental in helping
numerous community partners serve the unmet needs of our residents,
families, and neighborhoods," said Linda
Nosegbe, Comerica Bank National Community Impact Manager.
"Our partnership with the Lions has become a vital resource in not
only generating funds to assist in improving our communities, but
this platform has allowed us to help elevate and celebrate the
great work that they are achieving to uplift those in need."
During every Lions home game this season, a Metro Detroit
philanthropic organization will benefit by receiving $100 for each Lions first down gained. This
year's program includes all eight regular season home games and
re-launched during the team's two preseason games hosted at Ford
Field.
"It is an honor to continue the First Down Program with a
partner as community focused as Comerica," said Detroit Lions Vice
President of Detroit Lions Foundation and Community Relations
Roxanne Caine. "We are inspired watching how the dedication and
success of our players on the field can provide support for
nonprofits dedicated to the success of individuals right here in
southeast Michigan."
In the Lions home opener at Ford Field when they hosted the
Seattle Seahawks, the Comerica First Down Program supported SER
Metro-Detroit Jobs for Progress, Inc. In 2022, SER Metro-Detroit
celebrated serving the community for 50 years.
Located at seven different locations in and around Detroit, including its main office at 9301
Michigan Avenue, SER Metro-Detroit offers diverse programming that
includes literacy and education, job readiness skills training,
occupational skills training, vocational skills training, job
seeker and employer services, welfare reform programming, economic
and community development, employment, and extensive youth
programming.
Empowering Women
On Sept.
24, Comerica and the Lions will support Women of Tomorrow, a
mentoring and scholarship program that pairs professional and
highly accomplished women who inspire, motivate, and teach critical
life skills to at-risk students through mentoring sessions. Women
of Tomorrow is connected to nearly 60 schools in Detroit and southeast Michigan
communities.
NFL Crucial Catch – Game On Cancer
During the NFL's
league-wide Crucial Catch campaign in October to raise awareness
and fight cancer, Comerica and the Lions are teaming up to support
Henry Ford Health's Game On Cancer initiative on Oct. 8 when the Lions host the Carolina Panthers.
Game On Cancer is a partnership between Henry Ford, Detroit Lions and Detroit Pistons
that raises money to alleviate barriers that cancer patients face
on their road to recovery and funds research to find a cure.
Game on Cancer is one of Comerica's most notable employee
fundraising campaigns in the Michigan market, and the bank's
colleagues have now raised more than $60,000 since 2018.
Additional 2023 Community Partners
For the remaining
five regular season home games, the Comerica First Down Program
will support:
- Oct. 30: Neway Works
- Nov. 19: Dutton Farms,
Inc.
- Nov. 23: Destined For
Greatness
- Week 15 (Date TBD): A Girl Like Me
- Week 17 (Date TBD): RTTM Community Center
The Comerica First Down Program kicked off its 2023 outreach
during both Lions home preseason games in August. In total, both
preseason games generated $2,800 that
supported the Horatio Williams Foundation and My Sister's
Keeper.
First Down Program Impact
Since its inception in 2017,
Comerica has contributed over $113,000 to approximately 35 local community
organizations through the First Down program.
Previous recipients include: Abigayle Ministries, Alternatives
For Girls, Arab American and Chaldean Council, Beyond Basics,
Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American
History, Citadel Community Development Corporation, DEFY Program,
Detroit Organizations of Black Organizations, Detroit Police Athletic League, Inc.,
Detroit Public Schools Foundation,
Family Assistance for Renaissance Men (F.A.R.M.), Focus: HOPE,
HAVEN, IMAGINE Mentoring, Judson Center, LASED, Lebanese American
Heritage Club Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities, Life After
Care, Life Directions, Mostyn Community Development, Pure Heart
Foundation, Ruth Ellis Center, The Children's Center and Winning
Futures.
In December 2022, Comerica and the
Lions celebrated a significant milestone in the six-year history of
the program. Last year, the 1,000th first down was garnered by the
Lions since 2017 moving the overall contributions generated for
local charities to $100,000.
Comerica Bank, a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated, has served
Michigan longer than any other bank with a continuous presence
dating back 174 years to its Detroit founding in 1849. It is the largest
bank employer in metro Detroit and
has approximately 4,500 employees (FTE) statewide. With one of the
largest banking center networks in Michigan, Comerica nurtures
lifelong relationships with unwavering integrity and financial
prudence. Comerica positively impacts the lives of Michigan residents by helping customers be
successful, providing financial support that assists hundreds of
charitable organizations, and actively participating in
Detroit's downtown revitalization.
Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company
strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial
Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Follow on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Comerica, Twitter: @ComericaBank and Instagram:
@comerica_bank.
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team
based in Detroit, Michigan. They
are members of the North Division of the National Football
Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and play
their home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. The team located to Detroit in 1934 and is the National Football
League's fifth-oldest franchise.
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SOURCE Comerica Bank