Popular Makes a Difference for 11th Consecutive Year

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Popular Community Bank and Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (BPPR), the two banking subsidiaries of Popular, Inc., will celebrate 11 years of participation in The Points of Light Foundation & USA Weekend Today’s Make A Difference Day. Thousands of Popular employees from Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tortola, California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and New York will provide support to community organizations and their causes on Saturday, October 27, 2012.

“Since our founding 119 years ago, giving back to our communities has been one of our core values and not just on this day, but on a daily basis. Through our efforts and resources, we hope to help advance the mission of community organizations.”

Popular has been a part of the largest volunteering effort in the United States since 2001. Make A Difference has been uniting corporations, businesses, government leaders, charitable organizations and individuals to help their communities for more than twenty years.

In Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Popular employees and their family members will support 61 community projects dedicated to youth, education, the environment and social services. Activities range from beautification efforts, clean up and organization, donating resources, spending time with valued community members and enhancing conservation projects.

“We believe in giving back to our communities and we remain committed to honoring this tremendous national effort,” said Richard, L. Carrión, Chairman and CEO of Popular. “Since our founding 119 years ago, giving back to our communities has been one of our core values and not just on this day, but on a daily basis. Through our efforts and resources, we hope to help advance the mission of community organizations."

In California, employees work with five organizations:

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank fights hunger in the community. Team members prepare food bags for shelters.
Special Olympics Softball Tournament benefits from volunteers helping with lunch preparation, medal presentation as well as supporting the participants.
Coastal Clean-Up Project volunteers help in a coastal clean-up project through Heal the Bay. This project is intended to lessen the impact of beach debris entering the Pacific Ocean.
Think Together Book Doctors volunteers clean, repair, sort and label gently-used children’s books.
UC Irvine Golden Key Service Day volunteers help the BolsaChica Conservancy clean and restore wetlands. The goal is to remove as many non-native plants as possible, and to replace with indigenous plants.

In South Florida, team members volunteer for three organizations:

Palmetto Subacute Care Center is a home dedicated to the elderly. For the third year, volunteers will spend time with the elderly and donate personal care products such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, linens, blankets, and towels.
Adopt A Stray is devoted to homeless animals. Volunteers conduct a fundraiser. This marks a third year of partnership for the bank.
Chapman Partnership is an initiative that allows volunteers to work with children to create Arts and Crafts as well as reading sessions. This initiative is in partnership with the Family Resource Center & Childcare, which helps to serve the specific needs of homeless, including provision of family dorms, Head Start-funded day care, and on-site day care and after-school programs.

In Central Florida, volunteers partner with four organizations:

BETA Center provides children and parents with the knowledge and support needed for strong and healthy families. For the second year in a row, volunteers clean and beautify the center.
Central Care Mission is a long-term resident program for men within a Christian-based environment assisting with Life Management. Volunteers prepare meals.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida provides a "home-away-from-home" for families in medical crisis. For the third year in a row, volunteers help the organization with support in five locations.
Mending Hearts Charities is an organization dedicated to providing affordable housing to low-income families and disabled individuals in Sanford and Holden Heights. Volunteers do exterior painting and yard cleanup.

In Illinois, team members support seven community initiatives:

Northern Illinois Food Bank provides nutritious food to all those in need through their own efforts and those of their non-profit partners. For the third year, volunteers help sort and repack food.
Jennings Terrace is a non-profit charitable organization licensed by the State of Illinois to provide services to senior adults in need of sheltered, intermediate or skilled care. Volunteers assist senior residents.
McCormick YMCA of Chicago volunteers hold a Halloween party and assist with setting up games and clean-up.
ASPIRE of Illinois is a leader in services for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. Volunteers paint, and create a flower garden and pathway through the yard.
HAS (Healthcare Alternative Systems) volunteers help clean up facilities as well as assist with filing and performing clerical work.
Peoples Resource Center volunteers assist with restocking and rearranging food in the pantry.
Popular Community Bank Chicago Ave. branch hosts an onsite Halloween party for children ages 2-13 with games, treats and events.

New York Metro volunteers assist six organizations:

Kenmore Project volunteers assist the organization as they fill and organize their food pantry and supplies. The team also organizes and cleans the learning center storage area.
Project Sunshine is supported for the 7^th year in a row. Journal Craft Kits are distributed to hospitalized children throughout the region. They aim to create over 4,000 kits.
Take Control of Your Money is a financial literacy workshop conducted for the 2^nd year by select branches.
Food & Toiletry Drives delivers food and essential toiletries to St. Mark’s Church, Housing & Services Inc.and the Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger.

Since its founding in 1893, Popular has endeavored to serve the community with a special focus on improving education and academic achievement. To further this mission, Fundación Banco Popular was established in 1979 and the Banco Popular Foundation in the United States in 2005. These foundations are philanthropic arms which advance community outreach alongside with the everyday efforts of employees. The foundations are primarily dedicated to improve education and academic achievement, a reflection of our founders' belief that a community's progress is directly linked to education. In 2011, the foundations contributed $2.5 million to community programs and initiatives, including $1.9 million in donations to non-profit organizations in Puerto Rico, our five U.S. regions (California, Illinois, Florida, New York and New Jersey) and the Virgin Islands. More than 80% of donations were provided to education-related initiatives.

Note: Photographs of select events will be made available and can be seen on http://www.facebook.com/PopularCommunityBank

For more information on Popular Community Bank’s community support efforts visit: http://blog.popularcommunitybank.com/

About Popular, Inc.

Founded in 1893, Popular, Inc. is the leading banking institution by both assets and deposits in Puerto Rico, and the 36th largest in the U.S. by deposits. In the United States, Popular has established a community-banking franchise providing a broad range of financial services and products with 93 branches in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida and California.

Services of Popular are available at branches and online at mypopularbanking.com. For customers seeking more information, call 1-800-377-0800 or email popularnet@bpop.com.

Popular Community Bank is the assumed business name of Banco Popular North America, Member FDIC.