City National Bank Awards Literacy Grants To California, Nevada And New York Educators Totaling Over $77,000

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- City National Bank today announced that it has awarded 91 Reading is The way up ^® grants totaling more than $77,000 to support literacy-based projects at elementary, middle and high schools in California, Nevada and New York.

(See attached list of California grant recipients or visit www.readingisthewayup.org .)

Reading is The way up ^® is the award-winning literacy initiative through which City National has donated more than 80,000 books to elementary school libraries in California, New York and Nevada, and awarded 541 teacher grants to enhance literacy totaling close to $500,000 since the program's inception in 2002.

The grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 will help augment or expand literacy projects that were judged to be creative and engaging, and that would have a tangible effect on student achievement. The winning programs are expected to directly improve the literacy to more than 10,000 students in 86 schools throughout California, Nevada and New York.

The educators receiving literacy grants were selected from among the many full-time teachers, librarians, administrators and school media specialists who submitted an online application. Applications were distributed to every school district in California's 11 counties where City National maintains offices, which included Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Orange County, San Bernardino, Simi Valley, and more.

"We are excited to award much needed funds to a number of very deserving educators throughout California this year as part of our annual literacy grant program," said Carolyn Rodriguez, vice president and manager of Reading is The way up for City National. "These literacy grants are an investment in our future and part of our daily commitment to the communities we serve."

Projects funded included:

• A "Reading Buddies Learn that Character Counts" program that pairs older students with younger students to assist with pronunciation and vocabulary when reading. While this program helps younger students improve their reading skills, older students develop greater self-esteem and self-confidence. The program also helped purchase books and DVDs related to the Six Pillars of Character.
• A literacy program inspired by the book "Percy Jackson and the Openians" and students' interest in Greek Mythology. This program encourages students to go a step further to explore the mythologies of the world. Each student becomes a detective and uses to booklets and puzzle pieces to undercover various mythologies. A dedicated website serves as a conduit for information and showcases student's written mythologies.
• "Photographs are Worth a Thousand Words" literacy project helps students with moderate to severe disabilities learn to read through sight words instead of using phonics. Teachers use sight words that are part of the student's present environment. Teachers also create using repetitive written words, pictures and video specialized material for each child, teaching them to read a core curriculum.
• The implementation of a "Latino Family Literacy Project" that helps Hispanic families become more involved in the school community. Every week Latino families borrow bilingual books to read at home and discuss their reading experiences with other families while creating a photo album to maintain their family's culture and traditions.

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.