CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (February 10, 2016) – The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank ^® , announced today that My Place Teen Center, a free, year-round, after-school youth development program for kids at-risk in Greater Portland, has been selected as the beneficiary of this year’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in Cape Elizabeth, Maine on Aug. 6.

Founded in 1998, My Place Teen Center (MPTC) is a Westbrook-based nonprofit organization that each year serves approximately 570 youths, ages 10-18, who are most at risk, including homeless, disabled, food insecure, cognitively delayed, low-income, immigrants and refugees. In addition to serving 14,500 meals annually, MPTC also provides life-skills development and academic assistance through tutoring, study skills, a learning technology lab as well as science, technology, English, the arts, and math.

My Place Teen Center helps kids stay in school, yearn for something beyond their present moment, and accept social responsibility. For more information, visit www.MyPlaceTeenCenter.org , call  (207) 854-2800 or e-mail atdonna@myplaceteencenter.org . Find MPTC on Facebook and Twitter .

“The TD Charitable Foundation couldn’t be more pleased to have My Place Teen Center as the beneficiary for the 2016 TD Beach to Beacon,” said Larry Wold, President, TD Bank, Maine. “MPTC is transforming the lives – and in some cases, saving lives – of at-risk and disadvantaged kids in Westbrook and across the region by providing a place where they are safe, feel loved, and get fed. In addition, they provide a wide-ranging supervised curriculum that helps these kids gain the skills they need for a positive future. We are proud to partner with an organization that is making such a tremendous difference for vulnerable Maine youth.”

The TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank ( www.TDBank.com ), will provide a cash donation of $30,000 to My Place Teen Center. The organization also will benefit from fundraising activities and publicity through its association with one of Maine’s premiere sporting events.

The TD Charitable Foundation has now donated $570,000 to Maine charities over the 19-year history of the TD Beach to Beacon .

“This is such an honor for our organization, as being chosen beneficiary of the TD Beach to Beacon is the pinnacle of awareness and fortitude in the Maine non-profit world,” said Donna Dwyer, president and CEO of My Place Teen Center.

“The level of coordination detail, B2B’s reputation as a world-class race, TD’s generous involvement and sponsorship, the goodwill of Cape Elizabeth and beyond, the emphasis on health and that anyone can achieve the seemingly impossible, the dedication of the volunteers, the legacy runners, the elite athletes, the runners who come in last but who finish – these are all attributes that mimic our work in instilling our kids with grit, compassion, resilience, and persistence,” she said. “We are thrilled to be part of the Beach to Beacon community. We want our kids to see and feel the love, excitement, and care that surround this big-hearted race.”

Similar to the TD Beach to Beacon, the My Place Teen Center started in 1998. The center was first located in the Dana Warp Mill in Westbrook but steady and continued growth and expanded services prompted a move to its present location at 755 Main St. in Westbrook – the former United Methodist Church. The center serves 60 to 90 kids each day, and more than 560 different kids enter the MPTC’s prominent red doors each year.

In addition to food and safety, MPTC provides a structured, supervised curriculum focusing on 21st century skill building and positive youth development including daily homework assistance, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programming, service learning, financial literacy, mentoring, physical fitness, the arts, cooking and nutrition, social and life skills training, leadership skills, higher education/job acquisition support, and mental health first aid.

My Place Teen Center has four stated goals:

• Youth will be safe, feel loved, and get fed.
• Youth will develop appropriate interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, reduce problem behaviors, and gain self-esteem.
• Youth will increase their social and emotional development by increasing their engagement and sense of belonging, by providing opportunities for their voice and leadership, and by building stronger connections with their families, schools, and communities.
• Youth will improve school attendance and behavior, foster better study habits, and increase student achievement and graduation rates.

Dwyer said the funds from the race will be used primarily to expand the organization’s healthy cooking and food service-based program, which includes job skills and culinary instruction.

“With so many youth in our area living in poverty, with limited access to nutritional food and ability to engage in wellness initiatives, we plan to expand our culinary programming to meet the health and future economic development needs of all participants in tangible, long-term ways,” she said.

The TD Beach to Beacon, a classic American summer road race now in its 19 ^th year, was founded by Maine native and running legend Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the first Olympic women’s marathon, as a way to give back to her state and community by creating a major road race. The route follows the same coastal roads she trained on in picturesque Cape Elizabeth, beginning near the Crescent Beach entrance on Route 77, winding along tree-lined streets and past breathtaking ocean vistas, and ending in Fort Williams Park at the historic Portland Head Light, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

In 2015, a record-setting 6,602 runners from 15 countries, 41 states and more than 265 Maine cities and towns finished the often breathtaking 6.2-mile coastal course. Thousands of spectators cheer runners along the route and at the finish, and more than 800 volunteers help ensure a smooth operation.

Online registration for this year’s TD Beach to Beacon will take place March 10-11, with a race lottery to follow. Visit http://www.beach2beacon.org/2016registrationfor detailed registration information.

For additional information about the race, visit b2bdevelopment.wpengine.com, and find the TD Beach to Beacon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.