Be a Game Changer and Help YOUR Community Win a $25,000 Grant

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --  Communities across the United States and Canada answered the call from State Farm® to submit causes that would make a positive impact in their neighborhood. Now the top 200 causes need your "assist" by voting them to the top and bringing money to their community. From April 4 through April 22, anyone who has the free State Farm Neighborhood Assist™ Facebook application can vote for their favorite causes to help bring $25,000 to the top 40 vote-getters.

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3,000 submissions were received through State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a youth-led philanthropic program that empowers communities to identify issues in their neighborhood.  At least one cause was received from every eligible state, district and province in the United States and Canada. Then, the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a diverse group of 30 students who are passionate about social responsibility, reviewed the cause submissions and selected the 200 finalists based on criteria they created.

"Reviewing the 3,000 submissions was an amazing, eye-opening experience," said Youth Advisory Board member Cynthia Villalvazo, a sophomore at University of Missouri - Kansas City. "I definitely noticed some trends in the top 200 and throughout all the 3,000 submissions really.  The vast majority of causes would directly impact youth in areas like literacy, health, wellness and development. I also saw a lot of causes that would support our veterans and our poor and impoverished."

Once the Youth Advisory Board selected the top 200, the program connected each cause with a local nonprofit that can help solve the problem. Forty-six states and Canadian provinces have causes in the top 200.  The states with the most submissions in the top 200 were Illinois (15), California (14), Florida (13), Georgia (10) and New York (10). 

"Another inspiring detail we noticed was the oldest cause submitter was 86 and the youngest was 13, really demonstrating the fact that people of all ages want to help their communities get to a better state®," Villalvazo continued. "On top of that, 167 of the cause submitters were between the ages of 13 and 19 showing that youth are a big part of this program!"

The 200 causes have until April 22 to rally votes in their community, with anyone voting allowed up to 10 votes per day. On April 29, the top 40 vote-receiving causes will be announced on the Facebook app and a $25,000 grant will be awarded to the affiliated nonprofits.

"The beauty of State Farm Neighborhood Assist is that it places decision-making power directly in the hands of the public," said Mary Crego, State Farm Senior Vice President. "We hope the 2013 program is able to increase last year's widespread positive impact on U.S. and Canadian communities."

For a complete list of the top 200 causes or to vote for a cause, get the free Facebook app at www.statefarm.com/neighborhoodassist. 

About State Farm®:
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

About the Youth Advisory Board
The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of 30 students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada who serve a two-year term. Their directive is to implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to youth and communities. The Board is completely autonomous and youth-driven, and funds projects focused on issues selected by the board that impact youth. It consists of a diverse group of full-time students at high schools and universities. Each member commits about 15 hours a month to the Board and participates in three face-to-face meetings per calendar year. The Board will fund the 40 grants awarded through the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program with a portion of its $5 million funding in 2013. For more information on the Youth Advisory Board, visit www.statefarmyab.com.

SOURCE State Farm