City National Bank Awards 11 Literacy Grants to Nevada Educators


LAS VEGAS, April 23, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- City National Bank today announced that it has awarded 11 Reading Is The Way Up(r) grants totaling $5,500 to support literacy-based projects at elementary, middle and high schools in northern and southern Nevada.

See list below of Nevada Awardees or visit (www.readingisthewayup.org.)

Reading Is The Way Up(r) is the award-winning literacy initiative through which City National has donated more than 25,000 books to elementary school libraries in Nevada and California and contributed more than $1.8 million since 2002 to support education.

The $500 grants will help augment or expand literacy projects that were judged to be creative and engaging, and that would have a tangible affect on student achievement. The winning programs are expected to directly improve the literacy of about 1,000 students.

The 11 educators receiving the grants were selected from among the nearly 25 full-time teachers, librarians, administrators and school media specialists in Nevada who submitted an online application. Applications were distributed to every school district in the four counties where City National maintains offices: Carson City, Clark, Douglas and Washoe.

"Our students deserve every opportunity we can provide to help them achieve the reading and language skills they need to succeed in life," said John Guedry, executive vice president and Nevada region manager of City National Bank. "These literacy grants are an investment in our future and part of our daily commitment to the communities we serve."

Projects funded included:



 * An elementary school library program in Gardnerville will make its
   reading materials easier for at-risk and special-needs students to
   use by adding picture symbols and other objects to simplify and
   increase the readability of its texts.
 * A "Literacy through Science" program in North Las Vegas will use a
   variety of reading and special activity materials to help
   kindergarten students learn to read while exploring the physical
   world around them.
 * As part of a collaborative "Buddy Reading" program in Reno,
   elementary grade students with fluent reading skills will use
   specially designed interactive books to help struggling students
   improve their reading abilities.

About Reading Is The Way Up(r)

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(r) initiative to restock the state's school library system. The program was expanded into Nevada following the 2007 completion of City National's merger with Business Bank of Nevada.

To date, the bank has:



 * Contributed $1.8 million to support education, including an
   initial contribution of $100,000 to buy about 5,000 books for
   public school libraries through the California Governor's Book Fund
   and the California State Library Foundation.
 * Donated more than 25,000 books to Nevada and California school
   libraries.
 * Launched "One Class at a Time," an educational outreach program
   sponsored by the bank and Las Vegas television station FOX5. Each
   month, the program awards a $1,000 grant to an outstanding Clark
   County School District teacher.
 * Established a library "reading corner" at the Jerome D. Mack Middle
   School in Las Vegas. The bank donated more than 500 brand new
   books, 300 comic books, furniture and $1,000 for additional
   educational supplies.
 * 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, and was
   honored as the 2007 Corporate Visionary Partner by The Wonder of
   Reading.

The bank also has created the Reading Is The Way Up Fund, a 501(c)(3) administered by the California Community Foundation, as a funding resource to purchase books for school libraries in California. For more information, visit www.readingisthewayup.org.

About City National

City National Bank is the wholly owned subsidiary of City National Corporation (NYSE:CYN). It is backed by $15.9 billion in total assets, and provides banking, investment and trust services through 62 offices, including 15 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada and New York City. The company and its eight majority-owned investment affiliates manage or administer nearly $56 billion in client investment assets, including $35.9 billion under direct management.

City National has nine branch offices in Nevada, including five in Las Vegas and one each in North Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City and Minden. The bank also has loan production offices in Reno and Stateline in South Lake Tahoe.

For more information about City National, visit the company's Website at cnb.com.

The City National Bank logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3143



                        City National Bank
                     Reading Is The Way Up(r)
              2008 Nevada Literacy Grant Recipients

 Carson City
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  * "Enhanced Writing Traits," Mrs. Cheryl Winter, Jacks Valley
     Elementary School

 Gardnerville
 ------------
  * "Sixth Grade High Readers Program," Mrs. Sherrie Jackson, C.C.
    Meneley Elementary School
  * "Build a Library," Ms. Kerrie Badalucco, C.C. Meneley Elementary
    School
  * "Special Needs Modified Library," Mrs. Sheryl Grove, C.C. Meneley
    Elementary School

 Henderson
 ---------
  * "Connecting Juniors to Seniors," Ms. Pamela Ball, Explore
    Knowledge Academy

 Las Vegas
 ---------
  * "Writing Traits Picture Books," Mrs. Linda Gustafson, E.W.
    Stanton Elementary School
  * "Portable Listening Center," Mrs. Michelle D'Alessio, Roger M.
    Gehring Elementary School

 Minden
 ------
  * "Parent Literacy Training," Mrs. Romelle Cronin, Pinon Hills
    Elementary School

 North Las Vegas
 ---------------
  * "Literacy Through Science," Mrs. Stacy Moore, Don E. Hayden
    Elementary School

 Reno
 ----
  * "Buddy Reading," Ms. Melanie Scott, High Desert Montessori School
  * "Morning Reading," Mrs. Jonna AuCoin, Sierra Vista Elementary
    School


            

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