First Citizens Bank Announces Major Contribution to Uptown Greenville

$30,000 gift will support uptown revitalization efforts

October 24, 2003

GREENVILLE, N.C. - First Citizens Bank is donating $30,000 for Uptown Greenville’s revitalization plans.

The contribution, to be made over four years, will go toward additional development of the East Carolina University-City of Greenville Conceptual Master Plan. Uptown Greenville has initiated and provided the majority of funding for this plan, which calls for university expansion in the uptown area.

A check presentation by a First Citizens executive was made today (Oct. 24) at the Freeboot Friday event stage.

“We applaud First Citizens Bank for its generous support,” said Don Edwards, president of Uptown Greenville. “The bank’s contribution and participation in this initiative will go a long way toward helping us revitalize the heart of our city.”

First Citizens is a member of Uptown Greenville. Eric Clark, a First Citizens relationship banker, serves as the vice president of the organization. First Citizens also demonstrates its ongoing commitment to uptown through the presence of its office at the corner of Greene and Third streets.

“At First Citizens Bank, we believe it’s our responsibility to make the community a better place to live,” said Gordon Jethro, Pitt Area executive. “We’re extremely pleased that we can support economic redevelopment, aid the western expansion of ECU and help lay the groundwork for an even brighter future for our uptown business district.”

First Citizens’ focus on economic and community development is one of the bank’s four key areas of community involvement that also includes education, 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.

Uptown Greenville

The mission of Uptown Greenville is to develop plans and take action to revitalize and restore economic stability to the uptown business district. The organization has helped implement several projects that have dramatically improved the area, including:

• The ECU-City of Greenville Conceptual Master Plan. First Citizens’ donation will be used for the next phase of this plan. One of its major components is the Tenth Street Connector. This road will connect the ECU Medical School and Pitt Memorial Hospital with the main ECU campus and provide a gateway into uptown Greenville and the university.

• “Buy-a-brick, Bring Back Mainstreet.” More than $250,000 was raised to replace the old Evans Street Mall with a new streetscape.

• Façade Grant Improvement Program. Uptown Greenville and the City of Greenville have worked together to provide matching façade grants for more than 20 uptown buildings.

First Citizens Bank

Founded in 1898, First Citizens Bank operates 338 branches in 200 cities and towns in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. Headquartered in Raleigh, the bank has $12.39 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).

Barbara Thompson (919) 716-2716 First Citizens Bank

Don Edwards (252) 716-0944 Uptown Greenville