01/19/2010

Citizens Bank names Fellowship Place a Champion in Action in Connecticut

New London, Conn.    (January 20, 2010) - Citizens Bank has announced that Fellowship Place of New Haven has been recognized as a Champion in Action® for the first quarter of 2010 in the area of workforce development.

The award was announced by Rich Barry, Connecticut president of Citizens Bank, during an on-air segment of the noon newscast on WTNH earlier today. The award includes a $25,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation.

"By participating in internships and other career development opportunities at Fellowship Place, clients can increase their self-esteem while learning new skills. Fellowship Place plays an important role in the greater New Haven community and we pleased to present the agency with this award," said Barry.

Fellowship Place is an award-winning advocacy group that provided more than 140 individuals with cost-effective educational and vocational rehabilitation services in the past year. The Fellowship Inn Homeless Engagement Program regularly operates beyond its capacity, serving 120 homeless and mentally ill individuals in the past year.

"Every day that someone comes through our doors, they catch a glimpse that it is possible to overcome the effects of severe mental illness and move from homelessness, poverty and despair to a life of hope and self-sufficiency," said Mary Guerrera, executive director of Fellowship Place.

Champions in Action is a partnership between Citizens Bank and WTNH / MyTV 9, launched in 2002, to provide financial support and public awareness to the nonprofit organizations that work every day to champion change in our communities.

Each quarter, a nonprofit organization among a range of social service topics in Connecticut is recognized as a Champion in Action. Each champion in action receives the following support in addition to the $25,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation:

  • Media coverage from News Channel 8/MyTV9, including public service announcements.
  • Volunteer support from both Citizens Bank and News Channel 8/MyTV9.
  • Public relations support and promotional support through visibility at Citizen Bank branches and citizensbank.com.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 49 branches and 67 ATMs in Connecticut. RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $151 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s 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 about 40 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).