01/04/2012

Citizens Financial Group announces TruFit Good Citizen Scholarship winners

Twenty students in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest return to school from holiday break with $50,000 in scholarships for making a difference in their communities

Winners showcased on Citizens Bank and Charter One Facebook pages

Providence, R.I. (January 4, 2012) - Citizens Financial Group today announced the winners of its first annual TruFit Good Citizen Scholarship program awarding a total of $50,000 in college scholarships to 20 students in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest. The scholarships are awarded in time to provide funding for the upcoming academic period as students return to school from holiday break.

Citizens created the college scholarship program as a way to recognize students whose volunteer efforts have made a difference in their communities. The winners were chosen based on the responsibility and leadership skills they have demonstrated through community service. Nearly 1,800 college students applied for the scholarships. Scholarships included awards of $1,500, $5,000 and a $7,500 Grand Prize.

“The students in our inaugural class of TruFit Good Citizen Scholarship winners have shown an incredible dedication to the quality of life of others, and we commend them for the impact they have had as volunteers,” said Brendan Coughlin, President of Education Finance, Citizens Financial Group. “As a company that believes strongly in contributing to the health of our local communities and enabling more students to pursue higher education, we are excited by this opportunity to showcase these students as role models and to help them pursue their educational goals in college.”

Nearly 1,800 college students applied for the scholarships. The 20 winners below also are featured in more detail on Citizens Bank and Charter One Facebook pages:

Grand Prize - $7,500 Scholarship

  • Noelle Newhams of Pittsburgh, Penn., volunteers and mentors low-income youth. She attends the University of Pittsburgh.

2nd Prize - $5,000 Scholarship

  • Anthony Hall of Brook Park, Ohio, volunteers with cancer patients and children with autism. He attends Cleveland State University.
  • Makenzie Holmsborg of Annandale, New Jersey, volunteers with children who have special needs. She attends Ithaca College.
  • Allison Ivie of Boston, Mass., volunteers as an advocate for women. She attends Brandeis University.
  • Lenore Montanaro of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, volunteers with cancer patients and people whose pets have cancer. She attends College of Holy Cross.

3rd Prize - $1,500 Scholarship

  • Emily Balmuth-Loris of Concord, Mass., volunteers at an after-school program for low-income children and established a chapter of a global organization at Brandeis University where she attends college.
  • Simone Bernstein of St. Louis, Missouri, created a website and annual fair with volunteer opportunities for youth and their families. She attends St. Bonaventure University.
  • Brianne Carroll of Roebling, New Jersey, raises money to send pediatric oncology patients to summer camp. She attends Burlington County College.
  • Lisa DeMarco of Landisville, New Jersey, created a literacy program that donates books to low-income children. She attends Fairleigh Dickenson University.
  • Hannah Furlong of Kingston, Mass., went on a mission to Haiti after the earthquake and continues to support the country. She attends St. Anselm College.
  • Kelli Garguilo of Gloversville, New York, raised money for children born with cleft palates as well as volunteers as a study buddy for elementary school children and a college math tutor. She attends SUNY at Plattsburgh.
  • Gatlin Gunner Hamlyn of Chicago, Illinois, volunteers with poor and abused women in an empowerment program. He attends the University of Chicago.
  • Melissa Hannequin of Bethel, Connecticut, volunteers as a tutor and attends service trips and awareness initiatives. She attends Fairfield University.
  • Jeffrey Mestre of Jamaica Plain, Mass., volunteers at a local hospital for children and young adults with multiple disabilities. He attends Worcester State University.
  • Brendan Morgan of Chepachet, Rhode Island, volunteers as a mentor, coach and “buddy” to a developmentally disabled individual. He attends Worcester State University.
  • Nicholas Penberthy of East Amherst, New York, created a fundraiser to support a hockey program for low-income children who live in the inner-city. He attends SUNY Cortland.
  • Ajmeeta Sangtani of Sylvania, Ohio, volunteers in the children’s ward at a hospital and runs a science program for young girls. She attends Case Western Reserve University.
  • Rita Shah of Burlington, Mass., volunteers with Indian senior citizens. She attends Simmons College.
  • Alankrita Siddula of Chicago, Illinois, volunteers collecting food donations, organizing blood drives and providing medical emergency aid to the community. She attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
  • Kellsey Turner of Fleetwood, Penn., volunteers at a local food pantry and teaches young children about agriculture. She attends La Salle University.

In addition to helping students pursue their education with the TruFit Good Citizen Scholarship, Citizens provides online links and calculators, student checking and student loan options to make the transition to college successful. Citizens recently announced that its TruFit Student Loan® product is now available with a fixed rate option, giving students peace of mind in knowing how much their monthly payments will be when they start to repay their loans.

For more information on these products as well as the TruFit Good Citizen Scholarship program, please visit citizensbank.com/scholarship/. Details about the 2012 scholarship entry period will be available in the near future.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc., is a $131 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and, through its subsidiaries, has more than 1,500 branches, approximately 3,900 ATMs and more than 20,000 colleagues. Its two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. CFG is owned by RBS (the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).