J.P. Turner Raises More than $10,000 for the Empty Stocking Fund

ATLANTA, GA, December 23, 2010 (Press-News.org) For some, the holiday season is all about what they want for Christmas. For financial services firm J.P. Turner owners Tim McAfee and Bill Mello, the holidays are a time for showing appreciation to their employees and registered representatives and encouraging them to help those less fortunate.

For the third consecutive year, McAfee and Mello have spearheaded a campaign to raise money for The Empty Stocking Fund, a charitable organization that provides Christmas presents to underprivileged children, matching contributions dollar for dollar. The broker-dealer is based in Atlanta and employs nearly 90 people in their corporate office and has some 540 independent financial representatives throughout the country. McAfee and Mello challenged the firm to raise $10,000 again this year for The Empty Stocking Fund and their employees and representatives rose to the occasion.

Donations poured in from home office employees and representatives across the country - Florida, New York, California, New Jersey, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri - in support of the campaign. The firm exceeded its goal by raising $10,540 which will provide gifts for nearly 530 children this Christmas. Over the past three years, J.P. Turner has raised more than $30,000 for the organization; providing Christmas gifts for more than 1,500 Atlanta-area children.

"Tim and Bill's generosity is inspiring," said Dean Vernoia, chief operating officer. "Most companies use the current economy as an excuse to do less for their employees and their community- Tim and Bill don't. They understand the importance of investing in people inside their firm and in their community. The fact that we exceeded our goal was not surprising to me. All of us are just trying to pay forward the generosity they show us every day."

"Without the generous financial support of organizations like J.P. Turner, tens of thousands of metro Atlanta children living in poverty would wake to disappointment and devastation Christmas morning," said Donald W. Crawford, executive director of The Empty Stocking Fund. "We are enormously appreciative of Tim and Bill's leadership in what has become one of our most successful Sponsor-A-Child campaigns. J.P. Turner employees can rest assured that their company has made a significant impact in this community."

The Empty Stocking Fund is still in need. Donations are accepted year round. Please consider making a donation today.

The Empty Stocking Fund has been bringing holiday cheer to metro Atlanta's underprivileged children since 1927. Each year, the generous contributions received from thousands of Atlanta citizens along with local businesses and foundations enable the non-profit organization to provide gifts for tens of thousands of children from birth to13 years of age living in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties. To learn more about the Empty Stocking Fund visit http://www.emptystockingfund.org.

J.P. Turner & Company, LLC, is a full-service investment banking, securities brokerage and advisory services firm headquartered in Atlanta with some 185 branch offices nationwide. The firm was named One of the Best Places to Work in Georgia for 2010 by Georgia Trend Magazine. J.P. Turner was founded in 1997 by Bill Mello and Tim McAfee, who have assembled a strong leadership team composed of seasoned financial brokers and advisors, like themselves, that truly understand the challenges faced by independent representatives in the field. The company is a member of SIPC, TICA and the National Investment Banking Association. J.P. Turner has been consistently voted one of the top 50 independent broker/dealers by Investment News. For additional information on J.P. Turner & Company visit http://www.jpturner.com.