Prudential Insurance Company of America Awards $100,000 Grant to Support Veterans

United Way of Long Island is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from Prudential Insurance Company of America, providing veterans on Long Island with an opportunity to build meaningful and prosperous careers.

This grant supports veterans’ workforce opportunities including VetsBuild, a cornerstone program of United Way which provides hands-on training in green construction at the E3 SmartBuild Training Center, a state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest technology and equipment at no cost to the veteran. Assistance in resume development, interviewing techniques, and career placement is offered, in addition to stipends to veterans to ease their ability to participate in the training program.

“There are more than 135,000 veterans living on Long Island, and this grant from Prudential Insurance Company of America is crucial in allowing us to expand our reach and provide assistance to more of Long Island’s heroes,” said Theresa A. Regnante, President and CEO of United Way of Long Island. “These funds give us the ability to improve their lives and guide them down the path to success.”

“Prudential feels strongly that we have a responsibility to support the communities we do business in,” adds Charles J. Sevola, vice president of Information Systems and Veterans Initiatives at Prudential Insurance Company of America. “We are focused on putting veterans back to work, and believe that these programs will help the men and women who have worn the cloth of our country be successful in life-long careers.”

In addition to training in the green-build industry, Prudential’s support also provides training opportunities at the Composite Prototyping Center in Plainview, where veterans have the opportunity to advance their training and explore careers in the composite industry.

With the ability to increase the number and variety of workshops, veterans will now have the opportunity to build stronger relationships in their community. Through an expansion to a “Digital Ballpark” office space in Plainview, veterans can work alongside entrepreneurs in numerous industries who are also veterans, expanding their network and career connections while learning skills in IT and computer literacy.

To learn more about United Way of Long Island’s VetsBuild, visit http://www.unitedwayli.org/vetsbuild.

Photo caption: United Way of Long Island President and CEO Theresa A. Regnante, Rick Wertheim, Senior Vice President of Housing and Green Initiatives at United Way of Long Island and Fabrizio Bustos, Director VetsBuild are joined by Jim Beamesderfer, Vice President of Veterans Affairs at Prudential Financial, Charles J. Sevola Jr., Vice President of Information Systems and Veterans Initiatives at Prudential Financial, Frank Amalfitano, President and CEO of United Veterans Beacon House, Deanna Dentici, VetsBuild Case Manager at United Veterans Beacon House, Alphonso Richardson, HVRP Job Coordinator at United Veterans Beacon House, and students from VetsBuild, as they accept the $100,000 grant at the site of a recently-completed home in Patchogue built partially by VetsBuild students, which was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as a Housing Innovation Awards Grand Winner.

About United Way of Long Island
United Way of Long Island advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, financial stability and health.  We recruit people and organizations that bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done.  LIVE UNITED® is a call to action for everyone to become part of the change.  United Way of Long Island is part of a worldwide network spanning across 41 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. For more information about United Way of Long Island, please visit www.UnitedWayLI.org, Facebook or Twitter

About Prudential Insurance Company of America
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century.  For more information, please visit http://www.news.prudential.com/

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