October 16, 2009 — Two Boston nonprofits—Project Place, which provides housing and job training, and, Roca, a youth development organization—each have received a $200,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation in connection with the bank’s national Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

Project Place and Roca have been named 2009 Boston Neighborhood Builders through which they will each receive $200,000 in unrestricted grant funding and participate in Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Leadership Program with other nonprofit leaders from 45 communities across the country and London.

Project Place, based in Boston, is serving critical community needs by helping homeless individuals gain access to the skills, education and resources needed to obtain stable employment and housing. Roca, located in Chelsea, is working to help the city’s most high-risk young people move out of violence and poverty.

“Bank of America is supporting the Boston community through the Neighborhood Excellence Initiative and other lending, investing and community development programs that address critical social issues and align with our corporate social responsibility efforts,” said Bob Gallery, Massachusetts president, Bank of America. “In our current economy, communities need our support more than ever, and this program is designed to give that support through the effective combination of partnership, leadership development and flexible funding.”

The Neighborhood Excellence Initiative (NEI) honors two other categories of community leaders: Local Heroes, who contribute significantly to the health of their neighborhood, will direct a $5,000 donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to an eligible nonprofit of their choice, and Student Leaders, who are exemplary high school juniors and seniors with a passion for improving their communities.

2009 Boston Local Heroes are:

• Sheila Aliber, a Needham resident, will support Rosie’s Place
• Jacqueline Ball, a Cambridge resident, will support Fisher House Boston
• Wendy Chow, a Boston resident, will support Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
• John Hoffman, a Brighton resident, will support The Fishing Academy
• Lisandra Santa, a Waltham resident, will support Chesterbrook Community Foundation

Earlier this year, 230 Student Leaders from across the country, including five from Boston, participated in paid, eight-week summer internships with local nonprofit organizations and in a weeklong Bank of America student leadership summit in Washington, D.C. to learn about national service/civic engagement, financial education and how nonprofits, businesses and government partner to create positive change.

2009 Boston Student Leaders are:

• Jemima Barrios, a Lynn resident and graduate of Chelsea High School, interned at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
• Deandre Lawton, a Brockton resident and graduate of Boston College High School, interned at City Year
• Jackelin Stichel, a Dorchester resident and graduate of Brighton High School, and Linrosa Thach, a Dorchester resident and graduate of Excel High School, interned at United Way of New England
• Izilda Barbosa, a Brockton resident and senior at Brockton High School, interned at The Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston

All 2009 Boston NEI winners were honored yesterday at an event held at the Boston Public Library.