(Business Wire) J. C. Penney Company, Inc., issued its first corporate social responsibility report. It is available online at www.jcpenney.net.
JCPenney Customers Round-up $1.3 Million for Afterschool Programs
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MAY 29, 2008
By Press Release, Business Wire

J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP) customers are helping provide children in their own communities with access to life-enriching afterschool programs after donating more than $840,000 during the most recent JCPenney Afterschool Fund Round-up campaign. The JCPenney Afterschool Fund contributed $500,000 in matching funds to the Round-up, providing a total of more than $1.3 million for grants to afterschool programs in JCPenney markets.
Continued support for afterschool programs reflects JCPenney's philosophy that "Every Day Matters" and represents a key component of JCPenney's corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy as outlined in "JCPenney C.A.R.E.S.," the Company's first CSR report that was released this month.
During the 10-day Afterschool Round-up campaign in April, JCPenney customers had the opportunity to "round up" their JCPenney purchases to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to the non-profit JCPenney Afterschool Fund. One hundred percent of the donations collected at each store will be used to support afterschool programs in the store's local community, providing customers an opportunity to help children and families in their own hometowns.
"I am inspired by the collective generosity of JCPenney customers," said Mike Theilmann, chief human resources and administration officer for JCPenney and chairman of the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. "By donating just a little with each purchase, our customers are dramatically impacting the lives of children in their own communities by sponsoring them in quality afterschool programs that keep them safe and foster their academic, physical and social development."
Combined with previous Round-up campaigns during the 2007 back-to-school and holiday seasons, customers have contributed $4.1 million to the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. During the 2007-2008 school year, the Fund has provided more than $14 million in grants to sponsor children in afterschool activities.
"Supporting afterschool initiatives is a prime example of how we have focused our efforts and resources to become a positive force for change in the communities where we do business," said Jim Thomas, vice president and director of corporate social responsibility for JCPenney. "In our new CSR report, we communicate how we are responding across a full range of issues that define social responsibility for a retail organization of the 21st century."
Report: "JCPenney C.A.R.E.S." About Social Responsibility
"JCPenney C.A.R.E.S.," the 32-page report now available online at www.jcpenney.net, summarizes the Company's CSR strategy, goals and initiatives and focuses on how the Company is positively impacting the areas of Community, Associates, Responsible Sourcing, Environment and Sustainable Products:
-- Community - As a leader in youth development and community involvement, JCPenney is providing children in need with access to life-enriching afterschool programs through contributions to the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. Additionally, the Company and its 155,000 associates help communities through volunteer efforts and an annual Giving Together campaign that supports the Afterschool Fund and local United Way agencies.
-- Associates - JCPenney's WINNING TOGETHER principles guide efforts to build a culture that values, develops and rewards each Associate and promotes the principles of integrity, performance, recognition, teamwork, quality, innovation and community. Ongoing communication and recognition through a variety of channels help to keep Associates informed and empowered, while benefits and services support a holistic view of Associates' well-being and work-life balance.
-- Responsible Sourcing - JCPenney's commitment to legal compliance and ethical business practices is reflected in broad-based supplier compliance programs, which reinforce the Company's requirement that all suppliers comply with JCPenney standards and applicable laws, including those related to working conditions in our suppliers' factories. The Company also maintains extensive processes, including product testing in its own laboratories, to help ensure the safety and quality of merchandise it sells and is working to reduce environmental impacts across the supply chain.
-- Environment - Company efforts to reduce energy use and invest in more efficient systems support both business and environmental goals. The U.S. government's Energy Star program has recognized JCPenney's efforts with an Energy Star Partner of the Year award for Energy Management in 2007 and 2008. Reducing and recycling materials also helps to minimize JCPenney's environmental footprint.
-- Sustainable Products - Working with renowned environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo, JCPenney has launched Simply Green(TM), an exclusive-to-JCPenney designation that assists customers in making environmentally conscious purchases. A wide range of JCPenney private-brand merchandise now bears the Simply Green mark to denote items made with organic, renewable or recycled materials that lessen the impact on the environment. The Simply Green designation recently was extended to include selected national-brand and exclusive-brand products sold at JCPenney. In addition, the report highlights efforts to reduce product packaging and incorporate recycled materials into packaging.
About JCPenney
JCPenney is one of America's leading retailers, operating 1,074 department stores throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, as well as one of the largest apparel and home furnishing sites on the Internet, jcp.com, and the nation's largest general merchandise catalog business. Through these integrated channels, JCPenney offers a wide array of national, private and exclusive brands which reflect the Company's commitment to providing customers with style and quality at a smart price. Traded as "JCP" on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company posted revenue of $19.9 billion in 2007 and is executing its strategic plan to be the growth leader in the retail industry. Key to this strategy is JCPenney's "Every Day Matters" brand positioning, intended to generate deeper, more emotionally driven relationships with customers by fully engaging the Company's 155,000 Associates to offer encouragement, provide ideas and inspire customers every time they shop with JCPenney.
About The JCPenney Afterschool Fund
The JCPenney Afterschool Fund is a charitable organization committed to providing children in need with access to life-enriching afterschool programs that foster their academic, physical and social development. The JCPenney Afterschool Fund also works to raise awareness of the benefits of afterschool programming, and is committed to ensuring that every child has access to the world of opportunities that awaits them after school. Studies show that 14.3 million children in the United States are unsupervised after school between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and that youth are at greater risk of involvement in crime, drug abuse and other destructive behaviors during these hours. To address this issue, JCPenney created the JCPenney Afterschool Fund in 2001. To date, JCPenney and the JCPenney Afterschool Fund have contributed more than $70 million to support afterschool initiatives. Because JCPenney covers administrative costs of the Fund, 100 percent of the contributions raised from outside sources are donated directly to afterschool programs and initiatives.