CoAid wins $25,000 from Chase Bank

For Immediate Release

December 16th 2009

COAID WINS $25,000 FROM CHASE BANK ON FACEBOOK

CoAid is pleased to announce that they have been awarded one of the $25,000 prizes from the Chase Community Giving contest on Facebook.

Founded in 2008, Community Aid Relief and Development (CoAid) is a non-profit organization based in Littleton, Colorado, USA. CoAid is dedicated to the rebuilding of communities affected by conflict and natural disaster. We assist with disaster relief and sustainable development. CoAid's goal is to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ in practical ways that lift people out of poverty and hardship, and see lasting transformation in their lives.

CoAid is pleased to announce that they have been awarded one of the $25,000 prizes from the Chase Community Giving contest on Facebook. CoAid competed with 500,000 other non-profit organizations in USA and managed to be voted one of the top 100 charities. For an organization that has been running for less than 2 years this is an incredible achievement and testimony to their hard-working volunteers and supporters.

By establishing grassroots relationships within communities at risk, CoAid is training and equipping people to become first-line responders to natural disasters and agents for ongoing change.

In October 2009 in the State of Andhra Pradesh in India, CoAid responded to severe flooding by mobilizing teams of volunteers to distribute rice, blankets, cooking pots, shelter materials and other essential relief supplies. These items were delivered to flood victims who received no government assistance or help from other international aid agencies. Displaced by floods that claimed the lives of more than 300 fellow citizens, these people lost their homes, possessions, and livelihoods. CoAid assisted several villages along the banks of the Krishna River who had lost most of their fishing nets. Without these nets they had no way to generate income or feed themselves. CoAid donated new nets so the communities could once again support themselves.

In the war-torn Democratic Republic of The Congo CoAid is helping widows, orphans, the handicapped, and women with HIV/AIDS by donating goats, sewing machines, and training in an effort to provide them with ongoing financial support.

In January 2010 CoAid will be competing in Round 2 of the contest with the other winners for the grand prize of $1 million or 5 runner-up prizes of $100,000.

UPDATE 6th January 2010: CoAid has compiled it's "Big Idea" presentation for Round 2 of the contest. Please visit the Big Idea page at http://www.coaid.org/bigidea

CoAid’s "Big Idea" is to prepare many more ordinary people to do extra-ordinary things in times of disaster and recovery. CoAid will train and equip them with the resources necessary to respond to emergencies and rebuild their communities - one person - one family - one community at a time. If CoAid is successful in winning the $1 million grand-prize, they plan to use it to build a relief and development training center in Andhra Pradesh, India.

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For more information please contact Steve Neill at 1-888-41-COAID