First Citizens Bank Makes Contribution to Advantage Carolina's Charlotte Reads

Bank places community involvement emphasis on education, countywide literacy

April 30, 2002

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - First Citizens Bank has donated $100,000 to the Advantage Carolina public-private partnership to bolster the educational and economic success of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. The gift will go toward the Charlotte Reads initiative to improve childhood and adult literacy.

"We applaud First Citizens Bank for its generous support," said Peter Covington, leadership board chair for Charlotte Reads. "The bank's contribution and continued participation in this initiative will go a long way toward helping us tackle illiteracy throughout the county."

First Citizens associates concentrate much of their community involvement efforts on education in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. The bank is already actively involved in many aspects of Charlotte Reads. Bank associates volunteer in the community and schools, and they tutor and read to children who need to improve their literacy skills.

"At First Citizens Bank, we believe it's important to be a good neighbor and make the community a better place to live," said Allen Woodward, First Citizens' western region executive vice president. "We're extremely pleased that we can do something special to help educate our children and our workforce, promote literacy, support our schools and lay the groundwork for an even brighter future."

First Citizens' focus on education is one of the bank's four key areas of community involvement that also includes economic and community development, human services and the arts and culture. In addition to monetary support, First Citizens associates donate thousands of hours annually to community initiatives in the cities and towns it calls home.

Advantage Carolina is a strategic plan designed to help the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community capitalize on its growth, while ensuring the city maintains a high quality of life. The plan outlines 17 key tasks, or flagship initiatives. The Charlotte Reads literacy effort is one of the flagship initiatives that focuses on education and workforce development.

The goal of Charlotte Reads is to ensure that all residents of Charlotte-Mecklenburg have the literacy skills needed to succeed in school, contribute to the economy and community and achieve their personal goals.

Founded in 1898, First Citizens Bank operates 348 branches in 204 cities and towns in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Headquartered in Raleigh, the bank has $11.75 billion in assets. First Citizens Bank is committed to providing superior financial services to individual customers and small to mid-sized businesses. For more information about First Citizens Bank and its services, visit firstcitizens.com or call toll-free 1-888-FC DIRECT (1-888-323-4732).

For more information, contact: