Contribution Will Support the Museum's "Threads of Learning" Education Program
Media Contact:
Ellen Molle
617.757.5573
Cell: 617.548.9932
emolle@sovereignbank.com
Boston-July 20th, 2004 — Sovereign Bank strengthened its support for education and the arts in Merrimack Valley this morning with a grant to the American Textile History Museum. Bank executives joined with museum officials at a ceremony in Lowell where they presented a $5,000 grant from the Sovereign Bank Foundation.
“Education is a key contributor to the future success of today’s youth,” said Bill Hardy, Merrimack Valley regional manager for Sovereign Bank. “Sovereign understands this and salutes the American Textile History Museum for their outstanding efforts to expand educational opportunities to all communities.”
The grant will be directed toward the museum’s “Threads of Learning” program. The funds will be used to provide bus transportation for 20 school groups of disadvantaged youth to visit the museum. During their visits, students will have the opportunity to take part in several classes that arm them with the skills to achieve better test scores in critical subjects. In addition, the classes will teach students how to develop critical thinking skills, as well provide a forum to discuss important topics -- such as problem solving and cultural awareness. All classes through the program are structured to complement classroom teachings.
“We thank Sovereign Bank for this important support. The museum’s education program has expanded rapidly. Sovereign Bank has enabled us to overcome an obstacle to providing even more children with math, science, social studies and history programs taught through the study of textiles. We look forward to another year of service to school children,” said Michael Smith, president and CEO, the American Textile History Museum.
Accepting the $5,000 grant on behalf of the museum was Smith and chairman of the museum’s board of trustees John H. Pearson, Jr and Director of Education, Linda Carpenter.
The Sovereign Bank Foundation, through its “Spirit of Your Neighborhood Campaign,” supports non-profit organizations with charitable grants with the mission of making a difference in youth and educational programs as well as community and economic programs. Last year over 500 community organizations received more than $3 million through the Sovereign Bank Foundation.
The American Textile History Museum focuses on the art, science and history of our textiles, and is the nation's largest and most comprehensive textile museum. It is located in the historic Kitson Manufacturing Company building in Lowell, MA, and houses nationally significant collections of books and documents, tools and textile machines, fabric samples, textiles, and costumes. The Museum features the ongoing Textiles In America exhibit, and an active program of changing exhibits supported by educational programming for schools and the general public. It also operates the Textile Conservation Center, which provides textile care and preservation services to museums, institutions, corporations, and private clients worldwide.
Sovereign Bancorp, Inc., ("Sovereign") (NYSE: SOV), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the parent company of Sovereign Bank, a $47 billion financial institution with 535 community banking offices, nearly 900 ATMs and about 8,300 team members in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. In addition to full-service retail banking, Sovereign offers a broad array of financial services and products including business and corporate banking, cash management, capital markets, trust and wealth management, and insurance. Pro forma for our pending acquisitions, Sovereign is one of the top 20 largest banking institutions in the United States. For more information on Sovereign Bank, visit www.sovereignbank.com or call 1-877-SOV-BANK.
Sovereign Bank Community Banking Offices in the Lowell area: |
|
Billerica |
508 Boston Road |
Chelmsford |
44 Central Square |
Dracut |
1985 Lakeview Avenue |
Lowell |
900 Chelmsford
Street * |
Tewksbury |
1866 Main Street |
* Former First Essex branch |
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