Citizens Bank colleague on loan to YouthBuild Boston
Roxbury resident working full-time with neighborhood organization through Community Service Sabbatical programBoston (January 29, 2008) - Raulina Gomes, a senior administrative assistant at Citizens Bank, is on loan for three months to YouthBuild Boston, a nonprofit organization that improves opportunities for young people in the city by teaching them the skills they need to support themselves and lead productive lives.
As Citizens' latest Community Service Sabbatical recipient, Gomes is working with the Roxbury-based organization as a full-time volunteer for three months during a paid leave of absence from the bank. Her sabbatical began on January 14 and runs through April 11, 2008.
"As a young woman who became a mother at the age of 17, I have been able to share my experience in overcoming day to day obstacles with the clients of YouthBuild Boston," said Gomes. “This is an amazing opportunity and I'm excited to empower young people with the professional development skills they need to reach their full potential.”
In her few weeks at the organization, Gomes has been working with the Project Advantage program helping 16 to 18-year-olds with job and career development and training. Her focus is assisting students with their resumes, interviewing techniques and professional skills.
“At Citizens Bank, we're extremely proud of our Community Service Sabbatical program that not only benefits the nonprofit organization, but the Citizens colleague who often returns to work with a different perspective on life - both at home and work,” said Robert E. Smyth, president, Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. “This program is just one more way that we're demonstrating our appreciation for our community and our commitment to being a caring corporate citizen.”
The Citizens Bank Community Service Sabbatical program is open to all full-time Citizens employees who have three or more years of service at Citizens. Each year, a sabbatical is offered on a competitive basis to employees in Massachusetts. The selected employee works a standard full-time schedule at a nonprofit agency and is supervised by agency personnel. Upon returning to Citizens, sabbatical recipients are asked to share their experiences with their bank colleagues. Employees selected for the program are guaranteed their same salary and level of responsibility upon completion of the sabbatical. Gomes is the 10th colleague in Massachusetts to participate in this program. Last year, Citizens lent a colleague to Cradles to Crayons, a Quincy-based organization that provides essential everyday supplies like strollers, car seats, books and clothing to low-income and homeless children in Massachusetts.
YouthBuild Boston has a long-standing relationship with Citizens Bank. It is one of six nonprofit organizations to be recognized as a Community Gem by Community Gems, an annual fundraising event started in 2004 and co-founded by Robert M. Mahoney, Executive Vice Chairman of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., as a way for smaller organizations to share fundraising expenses while maximizing donations.
Gomes, a resident of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, has been a Citizens Bank colleague for four years.
About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 263 branches and 608 ATMs in Massachusetts.
RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $159 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG's two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 13-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. It is one of the 10 largest commercial banking companies in the United States ranked by assets and deposits. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).
About YouthBuild Boston
Founded in 1990, YouthBuild Boston is a leader in providing educational and workforce development services for inner city youth and young adults who seek to contribute to the growth of their families and communities. Through effective collaborations with both private and public sector partners, YouthBuild provides services and develops strategies that create and expand pathways to careers in the building trades and related fields.
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