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CONTACT:
Jason Kannon
Creative Partners
203.705.9203
jkannon@creativepartners.com
RICHARD E. TABER CITIZENSHIP AWARD ANNOUNCED AT FOUNDATION GALA
-- First County Bank Foundation Honors Area Nonprofits --
STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 15, 2010 — The First County Bank Foundation held its annual reception honoring area nonprofits at UConn’s Stamford campus Monday night. More than 150 people came to hear presentations by foundation officers and keynote speaker, Carol Cone, one of the country’s leading experts on nonprofit branding.
The evening began with a presentation by Richard E. Taber, CEO First County Bank, who talked about the importance of supporting area nonprofits.
“This ‘Celebration of Mutual Partnerships’ is a testament to the importance of your contributions to our communities,” Taber said, adding, “First County Bank started the foundation back in 2001 in honor of the bank’s 150th anniversary. We created it to distribute funds annually to nonprofit organizations that support community and economic development for children and families. As a mutual bank with no shareholders, First County Bank considers contributions made by the foundation a means of paying dividends back to the local communities it serves.”
Taber, who plans to retire next February, went on to introduce Rey Giallongo, president and chief operating officer of First County Bank, who also was appointed president of the foundation this year. After welcoming invited guests, Giallongo explained how nonprofits and the benefits they provide local communities are invaluable “and as citizens and corporations we must continue to support these organizations especially during tough economic times.”
“And in recognition of Dick Taber’s retirement and innumerable contributions he has made to our community through this foundation, and his personal involvement with many nonprofits around the area, the board of directors and foundation officers today announce the Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award,” Giallongo added. “The award will serve to ensure that the legacy of community involvement, so demonstrated by the award’s namesake, will be commemorated on an annual basis.
The award will honor high school students, living in the bank’s market area, who consistently demonstrate good citizenship at school, at home and in the community. This award does not seek to salute star scholastic or athletic performers. Rather the criteria are designed to recognize and encourage young people who are honest, hard-working, helpful and fair. The recipient of this award must be a high school senior who has been accepted to an accredited two- or four-year college or university. Applicants will be judged by the following characteristics:
- Citizenship – The student must be regarded as dependable and demonstrate respect for people, property and the law. The student is also courteous, helpful and caring in his or her relationships with other students, teachers, coaches and adults.
- Leadership – The student demonstrates an ability to work with and motivate others, has sound values, good judgment, a sense of fairness and has earned the respect of his or her peers.
- Academics – The student continually strives to the limits of his or her abilities, both in the classroom and in the home, to achieve those personal academic goals which his or her parents and teachers believe are within reach of the student. This in no way implies that the candidate must be academically superior. The student must have maintained and continue to earn a “B” grade point average or an equivalent.
- Service – The student readily and unselfishly helps others at home, at school and in their community to a degree that is judged exceptional for a person of the candidate’s age.
- Sportsmanship – The student demonstrates an earnest attempt to do his or her best during athletic or group competitions, shows a respect for the rules of that competition, and in terms of priorities, place the success of the team above a need for personal advancement. This does not imply that the student must be an outstanding athlete.
Starting next year, the First County Bank Foundation will solicit applications during a defined period of time. Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award recipients will be announced each year during the foundation’s annual grant cycle. The foundation will award three winning candidates $5,000 scholarships. The winners will receive a personalized certificate or plaque honoring the recipient; a check for $5,000 will be sent directly to the school of choice; a congratulatory advertisement will appear in the local newspaper, including a photo; and winners will be prominently displayed with a photo on the bank’s Website.
First County Bank, headquartered in Stamford, Conn., is an independent mutual community bank with 15 branches in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and Westport offering deposit products, mortgages, trust and investment services, business banking services and online banking. First County Bank has assets in excess of $1.3 billion. For additional information, please visit www.firstcountybank.com.
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Jason Kannon
Vice President
Creative Partners
One Stamford Landing
62 Southfield Avenue, Suite 110
Stamford, CT 06902
T: 203 705 9203
E: mailto:jkannon@CreativePartners.com
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