LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- City National Bank's Reading is The way up® nonprofit literacy program, in partnership with Barnes & Noble, today announced the donation of 65,000 new books valued at more than $200,000 to 33 schools and nonprofit organizations in California, Nevada, New York City, and Nashville, Tennessee.
In an effort to promote literacy and support local communities, the book donations were part of the 7th Annual Holiday Book Drive last December at Barnes & Noble, the world's largest book seller, in partnership with the Reading is The way up program at City National.
Customers at 17 Barnes & Noble stores in four states donated 32,500 new books, which City National matched with a $100,000 donation for an additional 32,500 new books to be purchased through Barnes & Noble by the school librarians at each of the schools receiving books. This donation also sets a new record for the number of books ever donated through this holiday program.
"The results of this year's program are very impressive and heartwarming knowing that there are a lot of people who care about education and the importance of literacy," said Carolyn Rodriguez, vice president and program administrator for City National Bank. "This is the seventh consecutive year City National has partnered with Barnes & Noble on this holiday program, and we look forward to partnering with them for many more years to come. Since the inception of our Reading is The way up literacy program in 2002, we have now donated 300,000 new books to schools, libraries and nonprofit groups in five states."
The City National and Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive ran from December 1 through January 1 and included 17 stores in the four states where the bank has a presence. City National and Barnes & Noble representatives are presenting the book and monetary donations to school administrators at school assemblies over the next several weeks. The bank's literacy mascot "Blue" is also taking part in many of these donation presentations.
About City National
City National Corporation (NYSE:CYN) has $32 billion in assets. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, City National Bank, provides banking, investment and trust services through 75 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta. City National and its investment affiliates manage or administer $61.2 billion in client investment assets, including $49.1 billion under direct management.
For more information about City National, visit the company's Website at cnb.com.
About Reading is The way up®
Originally established to help improve the education of California's future leaders, City National in April 2002 launched the multi-faceted Reading is The way up initiative to restock the state's school library system. The program has since been expanded to include all areas where the bank has a presence. Since its inception, the award-winning program has:
- Donated 300,000 books to California, Nevada, New York, Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia school libraries.
- Awarded close to $1 million to teachers at elementary, middle and high schools for creative literacy projects.
- Received the 2005 President's Volunteer Service Award, the 2005 Corporate Philanthropy Award from the Los Angeles Public Library, the 2006 Corporate Award from the Getty House Foundation, the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Corporate Citizen Award, and honored as the 2007 Corporate Visionary Partner by the Wonder of Reading.
- Received the 2013 Innovations Reading Prize Award presented by the National Book Foundation.
- Received the 2013 Outstanding Corporation of the Year Award presented by the Clark County School District-Community Partnership Program in Las Vegas, NV.
- Received the 2013 Angel Light Foundation Award for excellence in community service and educational outreach presented by the Angel Light Academy in Orange County, CA.
The Reading is the Way Up Fund is a 501(c)(3) administered by the California Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.readingisthewayup.org.
Following is a list of schools and nonprofit groups in the four states receiving new books and monetary support from City National and Barnes & Noble:
California
- Monument Crisis Center, Concord
- Promenade Elementary, Corona
- Del Dios Middle School, Escondido
- Hope View Elementary, Huntington Beach
- Lake View Elementary, Huntington Beach
- Oak View Elementary, Huntington Beach
- Academia Moderna Elementary, Los Angeles
- Carthay Center Elementary, Los Angeles
- Fairfax High School, Los Angeles
- Columbus Continuation High School, Long Beach
- Dooley Elementary, Long Beach
- For The Child, Long Beach
- Sussman Middle School, Long Beach
- Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley, Milpitas
- Hanson Elementary, Ramona
- Hickman Elementary, San Diego
- Kumeyaay Elementary, San Diego
- Loma Portal Elementary, San Diego
- Reach Out and Read, San Diego
- The Children's Initiative, San Diego
- Redding Elementary, San Francisco
- Opening the World Through Travel, San Rafael
- Timothy Murphy School at St. Vincent's School for Boys, San Rafael
Nevada
- John C. Fremont Elementary, Carson City
- C.C. Meneley Elementary, Gardnerville
- Helen Jydstrup Elementary, Las Vegas
- Paradise Elementary, Las Vegas
- Jack Dailey Elementary, Las Vegas
- Fedric W. Watson Elementary, North Las Vegas
New York
- Hyde Charter Elementary, Bronx
- Visiting Nurses Services of New York, New York City
Tennessee
- Haywood Elementary, Nashville
- Una Elementary, Nashville