FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C)
December 19, 2007
Junior Achievement Presents Citi with "Extreme Partnership" Award
Colorado Springs, CO – At its quarterly board of directors meeting in New York City on December 4, Junior Achievement (JA) President and Chief Executive Officer Gerald M. Czarnecki presented Citi with the second annual "JA Worldwide Extreme Partnership Award." Francesco Vanni d'Archirafi, a member of Citi's Management Committee and Global Head of Cash Management at Citi, and Daria Sheehan, Senior Program Officer of the Citi Foundation were on hand to accept the award.
The Extreme Partnership Award is presented annually to one Junior Achievement board member company that has made a significant global impact on all levels of the organization for at least three consecutive years. Citi's support for JA is part of the firm's 10-year, $200 million commitment to financial education. Since 1989, Citi and the Citi Foundation have provided financial support to JA Offices around the world in excess of $22 million. Last year alone, the Citi Foundation provided funding to JA operations in 49 countries, and to 24 states in the U.S. More than 2,000 Citi employees around the world taught Junior Achievement programs last year and the company was represented on 21 local boards in the U.S. and in 26 countries.
"The Citi Foundation is the global sponsor of ‘JA Banks in Action,' a new program that teaches high school students how banks work and exposes them to careers in financial services. In 2007, students from 28 countries participated in ‘JA Banks in Action,' thanks to a grant in excess of $2.7 million over three years to JA Worldwide from the Citi Foundation. "We consider Citi to be one of our model corporate partnerships," said Mr. Czarnecki. "Their employee volunteers provide strong role models for our young people, and their knowledge of the financial services industry helps JA students improve their financial literacy. We are thrilled to partner with Citi to deliver our ‘economics of life' programs to thousands of young people, and are honored to recognize them with this award."
Francesco Vanni d'Archirafi comments, "JA programs give our employees the opportunity to share their knowledge, experience and passion with today's youth. We're pleased to have worked with JA on behalf of the more than 8 million children around the world who benefit from their programs, to help empower young people to build assets and manage their money responsibly. As a company with relationships in more than 100 countries, Citi is committed to helping improve the local communities where we operate. Vanni d'Archirafi continues, " As an active supporter of JA for the past nine years, most recently as Chairman of Junior Achievement – Young Enterprise Europe, I am proud that so many Citi employees are volunteering their time and talents to make a difference for our youth."
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JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 140 individual area operations reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional 4.3 million students served by operations in 114 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.
Citi
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Major brand names under the trademark red arc include: Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Citi Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.
Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation supports organizations that help people improve their lives, businesses to grow, and communities to prosper around the world. The Citi Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information can be found at http://www.citigroupfoundation.com/.