02/15/2012
Citizens Financial Group places 100th colleague in Community Service Sabbatical
Started in 1994, program has generated 48,000 volunteer hours and saved nonprofit organizations more than $1 million
Providence, RI (February 15, 2012) - Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG) today named Kevin Ferroni, an assistant branch manager at the Citizens Bank branch in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, as the 100th colleague to embark on a company-paid Community Service Sabbatical since the program’s formation in 1994. Ferroni will spend the next three months lending his business and banking expertise to Mighty Writers, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that teaches writing skills to children.
CFG started the Community Service Sabbatical program as a way to support the community and its colleagues’ volunteer efforts. To date, sabbatical recipients have donated 48,000 volunteer hours of community service, saving nonprofits more than $1 million based on the hourly wage for volunteers as determined by Independent Sector.
“Community service is one of our core values at Citizens, so we are extremely pleased to see our Community Service Sabbatical initiative reach this milestone as a new round of CFG colleagues take time away from their ‘day jobs’ to pursue nonprofit work in their communities,” said Ellen Alemany, Chairman and CEO of Citizens Financial Group. “Our colleagues who have completed sabbaticals tell us that this is one of the most rewarding experiences they have had in their careers. We congratulate Kevin and the other eight CFG colleagues who will be going on sabbatical this year, and we encourage them to make the most of this opportunity to make a difference in their local communities.”
Founded in 2009 in South Philadelphia, Mighty Writers serves nearly 1,000 students each year to combat illiteracy. It offers free writing programs, including afterschool activities and SAT prep courses. It also takes its writing workshops on the road to libraries, youth centers, schools and local organizations for students who cannot travel to its facility. Mighty Writers recently launched the MightyVision Workshop, an initiative that helps students improve their writing skills through the development of graphic novels and comic books.
As a full-time volunteer, Ferroni will use his banking expertise to teach financial literacy programs to the young clients of Mighty Writers. He also will support the organization’s staff as they further develop the accounting and financial systems at Mighty Writers. Ferroni also will represent Mighty Writers at community events and work to expand its strategic partnerships with community members and local businesses.
“We are honored that Kevin has chosen to volunteer with Mighty Writers and thankful to Citizens Financial Group for supporting his efforts,” said Tim Whitaker, Executive Director of Mighty Writers. “In his first few days on the job, he has brought tremendous energy to the organization and the children we serve. We look forward to working with and learning from him.”
In 2011, Mighty Writers was recognized by CFG’s Champions in Action® program. The Champions program recognizes and supports nonprofit organizations with financial contributions, volunteerism, and promotional and public relations support.
More information about CFG’s community initiatives is available at the company’s website, www.citizensbank.com/community/.
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).
