City National and Barnes & Noble Donate New Books and Cash Totaling Over $300,000 to Schools and Nonprofits in Four States

Program Marks 10th Anniversary of The Two Company’s Holiday Partnership

LOS ANGELES – City National Bank’s Reading is The way up® literacy program, in partnership with Barnes & Noble, today announced the donation of  new books and cash totaling more than $300,000 to nearly 30 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 10th 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 51,500 new books, which City National provided a $150,000 cash donation for additional new books to be purchased through Barnes & Noble by the school librarians at each of the schools and nonprofit organizations receiving books.  This year’s donation set a new record for the highest number of books ever donated through the holiday book drive program, which totaled a little more than 100,000 books.

“It seems very fitting that we set another record for the 10th Anniversary of our amazing holiday book drive program with Barnes & Noble,” said Carolyn Rodriguez, vice president and program administrator for City National.  “We have enjoyed our partnership with Barnes & Noble the past ten years and look forward to another ten years together helping schools and their students develop a love of reading.  The Holiday Book Drive is a great example of a collaborative effort that is having a positive impact on the lives of students throughout the country.”

The City National and Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive ran from November 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 books and monetary donations to school administrators at school assemblies and nonprofit groups over the next several weeks.

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 more than 600,000 books to California, Nevada, New York, Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia school libraries.

• Awarded more than $1.5 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

• Capri Elementary, Encinitas
• Gisler Elementary, Fountain Valley
• Tamura Elementary, Fountain Valley
• Avocado Elementary, La Mesa
• Juvenile Court Services, Los Angeles
• Wilshire Park Elementary, Los Angeles
• Madison Elementary, Riverside
• Walden Family Services, Riverside
• Florence Elementary, San Diego
• San Diego Center for Children, San Diego
• USO San Diego, San Diego
• Teen Challenge, San Jose
• Santa Rosa City Schools, Santa Rosa
• Sycamore Canyon School, Santee

Nevada

• Jacks Valley Elementary, Carson City
• Mark Twain Elementary, Carson City
• C.C. Meneley Elementary, Gardnerville
• Incline Village Elementary, Incline Village
• Lincoln Elementary, North Las Vegas
• Desert Heights Elementary, Reno
• Hillside Elementary, Sparks

New York

• Hyde Charter Elementary, Bronx
• Book Fairies, Long Island
• PS 134-Lower Manhattan, New York City
• Visiting Nurses Services of New York, New York City
• The Child Center of NY, Queens

Tennessee

• Hattie Cotton Elementary, Nashville
• Inglewood Elementary, Nashville
• Rosebank Elementary, Nashville