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Organization: Valley Industrial Association
Date: October 24, 2008
Citi Awards $8,000 to VIA Connecting to Success Program
Donation supports annual training program for high school junior classmen
SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA (October 24, 2008) — Citi, a global financial services company, presented a donation of $8,000 to the Valley Industrial Association for the 2008/2009 Connecting to Success program. This represents the single largest donation in the program's six year history.
"We are supporting this program with our money and our time because we've seen the impact that basic business training can have on young people's lives," said Kathy Scott, Area Director for Citibank.
"One of the most effective tools we have found to help people improve the quality of their lives is education, and in particular financial education, so we are happy to help VIA to deliver both," said Rashi Kallur, Community Relations Officer for Citibank.
"This donation represents a tremendous boost to our program," stated Randy Moberg, VIA's vice-chair of education. Moberg is also committee chair for the Connecting to Success program and incoming VIA chairman for 2009. This year marks the first year that all high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District will be participating, including Valencia, Canyon, Golden Valley, West Ranch, Hart, Saugus, Bowman and Sequoia Charter.
Connecting to Success is a VIA program held annually in collaboration with Junior Achievement. Over 2,700 high school junior classmen are expected to participate in one of this year's event dates scheduled for October 2, 2008, and January 29 and February 12, 2009. Ten of the 40 program facilitators each day are Citi employees residing in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Each year, business professionals volunteer to teach skills necessary in the job market: how to communicate their value through skills assessment and interviewing, how to work effectively in a team environment, and the importance of business and personal ethics. This half day business seminar gives students hands-on experience interacting with successful local business professionals.
A financial literacy component may be developed for the 2009 program dates, which will assist students in building skills in basic banking, budgeting, credit, savings and investing. Citi will provide assistance to VIA with the development and delivery of that component.
For more information on Connecting to Success, contact Kathy Norris, VIA's president and chief executive officer, at (661) 294-8088 or visit www.via.org.
ABOUT THE VALLEY INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION (VIA) The Valley Industrial Association of Santa Clarita represents business interests throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. VIA provides its members — industrial, commercial and service companies — the opportunity to collaborate on a broad range of business issues. In addition to being a legislative advocate, VIA serves as a one-stop shop for relevant business information, supports local educational initiatives, and provides networking opportunities.
ABOUT 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. Citi's major brand names include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Nikko. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.org.
