LAS VEGAS, Feb. 28, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- City National Bank executives today joined with officials from the Clark County School District and Jerome D. Mack Middle School in a library dedication ceremony marking the beginning of a new educational partnership program between the bank and Mack Middle School. The City National Bank "Reading Corner" was unveiled today in the school's library as part of the dedicatory event. The bank also donated books, furniture and money to the school and its library located at 4250 Karen Avenue in southeast Las Vegas. (For images related to this story, go to http://www.cnb.com/images/photos/release-02282008-1.jpg and http://www.cnb.com/images/photos/release-02282008-2.jpg.)
City National's new educational partnership program with Mack Middle School is also part of the bank's commitment to Nevada Reading Week and the many activities taking place this week at various at-risk schools throughout Nevada. Approximately 100 bank colleagues have been reading to students this week at elementary schools in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, and Minden/Gardnerville. Bank colleagues are reading to literally hundreds of students from new books that are also being donated to each school by the bank.
"It is a real honor to establish this new partnership program with a school that is named after one of the most prominent business leaders and community minded people the Las Vegas community has ever known," said John Guedry, executive vice president and Nevada region manager of City National Bank. "Jerome Mack would be proud of this wonderful partnership that is designed to help students develop a greater appreciation for reading, while at the same time helping to improve literacy among the student population."
As part of today's ceremony, the bank donated 500 new books, 300 new comic books, two new sofas, magazine racks and a $1,000. The majority of this material, along with others purchased by the bank's monetary support, will be part of the City National Bank "Reading Corner" that was dedicated at today's event in the school's library.
"When it comes to community partners, City National is clearly at the head of the class," said Joe Murphy, principal of Mack Middle School. "It's great to partner with a company that truly understands the needs of our schools and genuinely wants to make a difference in the lives of our students. We can't thank City National enough for their generosity and commitment to child literacy. They have certainly set the standard for other companies to follow."
A large percentage of the books donated by the bank today are written in the Spanish language for the predominantly Hispanic student population attending Mack Middle School. The school has approximately 66 percent of its students who are Hispanic, while another 19 percent make up the African-American, Asian and Native American student population. The remaining 15 percent of Mack students are Caucasian.
Since 2002, when the bank's child literacy program was initially launched in California, City National Bank has donated over $2 million in support of education and more than 25,000 books to school libraries in Nevada and California. (For more information about this award-winning educational program, go to www.readingisthewayup.org.)
City National Bank also participates in a number of other educational outreach programs in Nevada, including its "One Class at a Time" teacher recognition program with FOX5 and the Clark County School District, the Academy of Finance with Clark High School in Las Vegas, the Paybac and Focus School Programs with the Clark County School District, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Reno, the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas, and more.
About City National
City National Bank is the wholly owned subsidiary of City National Corporation (NYSE:CYN). It is backed by $15.9 billion in total assets, and provides banking, investment and trust services through 62 offices, including 15 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada and New York City. The company and its nine majority-owned investment affiliates manage or administer more than $59 billion in client investment assets, including $37.8 billion under direct management.
City National has nine branch offices in Nevada, including five in Las Vegas and one each in North Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City and Minden. The bank also has loan production offices in Reno and Stateline in South Lake Tahoe.
For more information about City National, visit the company's Website at cnb.com.
The City National Bank logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3143