Borderzine wins one 0f ’50 States for Good’ grants from Tom’s of Maine

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Borderzine, a bilingual journalism training program based at The University of Texas at El Paso, has been selected as one of 52 winners from across the country in the seventh annual Tom’s of Maine “50 States for Good” community giving program.

Toms-GoodnessBadge-Blue-062215Borderzine was selected to represent the state of Texas and will receive $20,000 to fund its mission of transforming U.S. newsrooms into more inclusive workplaces that reflect the nation’s demographic diversity by placing more young journalists of color in news internships and jobs.

“This generous gift from Tom’s of Maine advances in significant ways Borderzine’s mission to prepare a young generation of multicultural journalists that reflects and interprets the real story of immigration and the borderlands for the rest of America,” said Zita Arocha, director of Borderzine and associate professor in UTEP’s Department of Communication.

Specifically, the funds will be used for a combination of internships, technical support for the Borderzine website and recruitment efforts for Borderzine’s annual high school journalism workshop.

ElvinAndReneeThe contest’s process began with community members taking to social media pages to share #OneWaytoHelp their communities, amassing nearly 10,000 submissions. One entrant representing each state and Washington, D.C. was selected to designate a local nonprofit in their area to receive project funding from Tom’s of Maine.

“This year’s nonprofit recipients bring to life an inspiring picture of the care that Americans have for each other and their communities,” said Susan Dewhirst, goodness programs manager at Tom’s of Maine. “People often think giving back to their community is time intensive, and we wanted to show there are easy ways to make a difference, like raising awareness for a cause you love and supporting brands that strive to make the world a better place for future generations.”

Borderzine is an innovative journalism education initiative and online publishing platform that prepares young bilingual journalists for jobs in 21st century news media. Since 2008, the program has published rich, relevant content about the borderlands produced by multicultural student journalists at UTEP and partner schools across the U.S. and Mexico.

Tom’s of Maine is a natural products company focused on oral and personal care. For over 45 years, Tom’s of Maine has invested in hundreds of nonprofit efforts by giving 10% of its profits back to organizations that support people and the planet and by encouraging employees to use 5 percent (12 days) of paid time to volunteer. To learn more, visit  http://www.tomsofmaine.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/TomsofMaine.

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