BLOOMINGTON, Ill., May 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Communities across the United States answered the call from State Farm® to submit causes that would make a positive impact in their neighborhoods. Now the top 200 causes need your help by voting for them to bring money to their communities. From May 14 through June 3, 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.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7417331-state-farm-neighborhood-assist

Foto – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150513/215869

Almost 4,000 submissions were received through State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a youth-led philanthropic program that empowers communities to identify issues in their neighborhoods.  At least one cause was received from every state. The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a group of 30 students who are passionate about social responsibility, reviewed the submissions and selected the top 200 finalists based on criteria they created.

“During my time on the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, I’ve garnered a deep appreciation for the Neighborhood Assist grant program,” said Youth Advisory Board member Wesley Dixon a senior at Yale University – New Haven. “I absolutely love that this grant program removes many of the barriers individuals often face when applying for grants, through its use of a simple and accessible application.”

Once the Youth Advisory Board selected the top 200, the program connected each cause with a local nonprofit that can help solve the problem. 42 states have causes in the top 200.  The states with the most submissions in the top 200 were Arkansas (14), Maryland (12), California (10), Illinois (10) and Ohio (10).  

“The State Farm Youth Advisory Board aims to review and fund grants of a diverse nature,” Dixon continued. “What’s more, the Neighborhood Assist program empowers communities and individuals to support the grant of their choice by facilitating an open voting system via Facebook.”

The 200 causes have until June 3 to rally votes and anyone voting is allowed up to 10 votes per day. On June 16, 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.

“Over the past three years, it’s been great to see State Farm Neighborhood Assist grants support causes that positively impact communities across the country,” said Kellie Clapper, State Farm Assistant Vice President.  “The communities themselves can play an important role in inspiring people to rally and vote for these important causes.”

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. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve over 82 million policies and accounts – nearly 80 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 41 on the 2014 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.

About the Youth Advisory Board
The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of 30 students, ages 17-20, from across the United States 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 2015. For more information on the Youth Advisory Board, visit www.statefarmyab.com.

SACRAMENTO, California, May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Amid increased violence toward Christians worldwide, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC)/CONEL, which has a continued focus on justice and compassion for all individuals created in the Image of God, today announced the organization has named liaisons to the White House and the United Nations.

Dr. Gus Reyes, NHCLC/CONEL Chief Operating Officer and Director of the Texas Baptist’s Christian Life Commission, will serve as the official White House liaison for the organization and the deputy liaison to the United Nations. Ricardo Luna, NHCLC/CONEL Executive Director, will serve as the organization’s chief liaison to the United Nations. 

“We have said before that we cannot be complacent when our brothers and sisters in Christ are being persecuted around the world,” Rodriguez said. “It is time to take action and propel proactivity on behalf of those around the world that should not and cannot do this alone.”

Recent statistics reported by Christianity Today show that worldwide levels of persecution of the Christian Church have increased, with 2014 having had the greatest number of religious freedom violations against Christians worldwide in recent memory.

“Having spent 23 years working in countries with religious persecution, religious liberty and religious equality issues, I celebrate the opportunity to create a space of global influence for the Lamb’s agenda at the United Nations,” said Luna. “I am excited to continue to work on vital issues affecting Christian believers around the world, including the emerging generation challenge.  

“In order to fulfill the millennium goals of the United Nations, we must promote and invest in transformational principles and values for children around the world,” Luna added.  “An ounce of prevention is worth a millennium of cure.”

These new roles will help encourage action to fight poverty, address the emerging generation challenge, provide religious liberty, and promote the dignity of life – which are core issues of NHCLC/CONEL.

“We look forward to enhancing working relationships with leadership both at the United Nations and the White House to ensure every effort is being made on behalf of individuals being persecuted around the world for their Christian faith,” said Reyes. “The NHCLC/CONEL is committed to religious freedom, and these two new roles will further promote that commitment.” 

NHCLC/CONEL is the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization. It serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and another 500,000 congregations spread throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora. The organization seeks to reconcile Evangelist Billy Graham’s message of salvation through Christ with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march of prophetic activism. A bipartisan organization, NHCLC/CONEL follows the agenda of the Lamb, not the donkey or the elephant, and emphasizes “7 Directives” of Life, Family, Compassionate Evangelism, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth. For additional information, visit http://www.nhclc.org.