BERNARDSVILLE, N.J., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More Than Me, an organization committed to empowering young girls at risk of sexual exploitation through education in Liberia, West Africa, is thrilled to announce its selection as a finalist in the Chase American Giving Awards contest.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121129/DC21490)

Voting will take place via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving?fref=ts or on the Chase bank website: www.chasegiving.com between Tuesday, November 27 and Tuesday, December 4 with results airing on NBC Saturday, December 8, 2012 (8 PM EST).

The winner of this competition will receive a $1 million grant, which, for More Than Me, would be life-changing, for both the organization itself but also the thousands of Liberian girls it could reach. To date, the organization has the support of Pat Benatar, Prince Lorenzo Borghese, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Georgina Bloomberg and Tom Freston in the effort to draw attention to the contest.  

ABOUT MORE THAN ME

More Than Me was founded in 2009 by Katie Meyler, a young woman who faced a tough childhood filled with abuse, drugs and alcohol. Katie's mission is simple: to provide education, opportunity, and safety to the most vulnerable girls. When asked why she has chosen to help children in Africa rather than here in America, she says, "I grew up poor in America. My single mom worked the overnight shift at a Lipton Tea company making minimum wage ... but I always had free school. I never had to work the streets to find my next meal; there were government programs and neighbors that could help. In Liberia that just doesn't exist and before I'm an American, I am human."

The organization has thrived on purely volunteer support, spearheaded by Katie's passion and dedication to the cause. It is currently working with the government of Liberia to transform an old bombed out, looted building into an all-girls academy, with after school programs focused on teaching the girls entrepreneurship. More Than Me is unique in this contest in that it is actively building an infrastructure in country, with local staff and sustainable programming. With an additional $1 million, the organization would be able to see this dream come true even faster, affecting the lives of thousands more girls within a few years.

Katie has been called "The most passionate person we've ever met" by Bono's ONE Foundation, a "Social Media Role-Model" at a UN-sponsored Mashable event and named "Outstanding Woman of the Year" by the NJ Commission on the Status of Women.  

To get more information on the organization, visit http://morethanme.org. To learn more about how you can help More Than Me win, visit our blog. If you would like to interview Katie, or have other inquiries, contact stasi@morethanme.org.

CONTACT: Stasi Baranoff
908 391 8689
EMAIL: stasi@morethanme.org

SOURCE More Than Me Foundation