Sarasota, FL – August 4, 2010 – Fifth Third Bank, in partnership with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, has announced its second annual “Back to School” supply drive, a project to provide local schoolchildren with free backpacks and school supplies.
From August 16 through September 3, Fifth Third Bank will collect donations of school supplies through collection bins placed in its Sarasota County locations. The bank will provide individual backpacks. Supplies and backpacks will be distributed in conjunction with the education foundation to students in need of assistance. The program is part of similar partnerships in Fifth Third Bank’s Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Manatee, and Palm Beach County markets.
.JPG "2009 Back to School Tuttle")
Last year at Tuttle Elem - Sandy Santilli, Kathy Leavesley, Cindy Kaiser, Tom Buchanan, Angela Garcia, Jennifer Auray
Last year, more than 1,000 individual backpacks full of school supplies were collected, donated and distributed to students throughout South Florida. This year, the partnership has expanded to include Charlotte County.
“Through this partnership, Fifth Third Bank hopes to equip children -- who might otherwise go without these essentials -- with all of the tools and materials they need to go confidently in the direction of their dreams,” said David Call, President and CEO, Fifth Third Bank (South Florida).
Cindy Kaiser, Executive Director of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, praised the company’s efforts. “In such a prosperous community, it’s stunning that over 45% of Sarasota County’s schoolchildren are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. That’s up from 33% just two years ago. With this drive, Fifth Third’s wonderful employees and customers can insure that every child has the simple things he or she needs to succeed in the classroom.”
The public is encouraged to donate supplies at any Fifth Third Bank in the area; for the nearest location, visit www.53.com. Suggested items include #2 pencils, spiral notebooks, 8- or 24-count boxes of crayons, washable glue or glue sticks, full-size boxes of tissue, anti-bacterial wipes or hand sanitizer, gallon- or sandwich-size zip lock bags, etc. Donations of gift cards to office supply stores or retail school supply vendors are also welcomed; the partners will purchase supplies from the school-issued supply list and distribute during the drive.
For more information or to support the school supply drive, call Fifth Third Bank at (239) 591-6463 or the Education Foundation at (941) 927-0965.
About The Education Foundation of Sarasota County
The Education Foundation of Sarasota County is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works in partnership with the community and Sarasota County public schools to invest in every child’s success. With the support of individuals, families, companies and foundations, the Education Foundation awards more than a million dollars each year to initiatives including the Texcellence Computer Donation program, Teacher of the Year, Academic Olympics, Science Fair, classroom grants, fine arts programs, and literacy initiatives. For more information visit www.EdFoundation.net or call (941) 927-0965.
About Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank (South Florida), headquartered in Naples, has 63 banking centers serving the communities of Naples, Marco Island, Ft. Myers, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Bradenton, Cape Coral, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale. Fifth Third Bank offers full-service banking convenience, including mortgage, private banking, corporate banking, trust, investments, and currency exchange for 110 countries.
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $112 billion in assets, operates 16 affiliates with 1,309 full-service Banking Centers, including 102 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,362 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 49% interest in Fifth Third Processing Solutions, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of June 30, 2010, had $178 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $24 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ(R) National Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB."