Capital One and Heart of America Foundation to Build READing Corner at The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington FBR Branch @ THEARC

Donation to Include 250 Books, Financial Literacy Section, Cozy Reading Area, Design Elements and Presentation of Books to Youth

WASHINGTON, July 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of Capital One Financial Corporation's partnership with The Heart of America Foundation, Capital One associates in the Greater Washington, DC Metropolitan Region are helping to build a READing Corner at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington FBR Branch @ THEARC on July 29-30, 2010. Together, Capital One and The Heart of America Foundation are participating in a two-day renovation project to build a reading area for students, including a special section of books on financial literacy, and five new computers.

"This new library will provide a stimulating, nurturing environment to inspire a lifelong love of reading in the hearts and minds of thousands of children living in the District of Columbia," said Carolyn Berkowitz, Vice President, Community Affairs, Capital One. "At Capital One, we recognize that one of the most important investments we can make in the future of our community is an investment in education, and we are proud to continue our partnership with The Heart of America Foundation, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and THEARC to make this library possible."

The two-day READing Corner build-out will culminate in a ribbon cutting and dedication on July 30, 2010. John Finneran, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Capital One, will lead the READing Corner dedication in honor of former Capital One Board Member Stanley Westreich. Youth members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington FBR Branch @ THEARC will join officials, including Mr. Finneran, Mr. Westreich, Angie and Bill Halamandaris, Co-Founders of the Heart of America Foundation, Edmund Fleet, Executive Director, THEARC, and Janie Kinney, Board Member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, for the official ribbon cutting. For each of the 400 children enrolled in programs at THEARC who attend Friday's event, Capital One and Heart of America will provide five new books to start or add to their home libraries.  

The READing Corner Project borrows elements of the READesign library makeover program by creating lively and invigorating reading spaces for children and saturating community center and home environments with books to help promote literacy. Each READing Corner includes child-friendly furniture, 200 library-quality books, 50 financial literacy books and other customized design elements, including laptop computers. In addition, each child at a READing Corner unveiling will receive five new books to take home to add to their personal collections.

"The Heart of America Foundation is excited to launch the first Heart of America Foundation/Capital One READing Corner in our nation's capital and, as a result, be one step closer to providing children in need everywhere with the tools to read, succeed and make a difference," said Angie Halamandaris, The Heart of America Foundation, President and Co-Founder. "Over the past nine years with the support of Capital One, our reach has been broader, our community relationships deeper and our impact made significantly greater."

Capital One's relationship with The Heart of America Foundation began in 2001. Since that time, the two have partnered to revitalize elementary school libraries in low-income communities. Capital One associates participate in volunteer programs, including reading to students, distributing books for students' personal libraries and participating in Library READesign and READing Corner projects. To date Capital One has completed 18 READesign and READing Corner projects across its banking footprint. In partnership with Heart of America, Capital One has donated more than one million books, valued at more than $8 million, to 400,000 students.

"We are delighted to be a part of this exciting collaboration that will bring books and a revitalized learning space to The FBR Branch @ THEARC," said Pandit F. Wright, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. "We applaud Capital One and The Heart of America Foundation for sharing our commitment to create a positive environment for the youth we serve throughout the greater Washington Community."

As a business leader in headquartered in the Greater Washington, DC Metropolitan Region, Capital One is committed to investing in our nation's capital through innovative partnerships and programs that focus on economic development, affordable housing, small businesses, education and financial literacy.

"At THEARC, our goal is to revitalize the community by providing quality cultural, educational, health, recreational and social services to our clients," said Edmund Fleet, Executive Director, THEARC. "This new READing Corner at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington FBR Branch @ THEARC will allow us to serve the needs of the young people who walk through our doors in a more meaningful way. By presenting the children with their own books, our impact carries beyond THEARC into the community at large and into the homes and families of the children we serve."

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a Fortune 500 company with approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Louisiana. Its subsidiaries, Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. We apply the same principles of innovation, collaboration and empowerment in our commitment to our communities across the country that we do in our business. We recognize that helping to build strong and healthy communities – good places to work, good places to do business and good places to raise families – benefits us all and we are proud to support this and other community initiatives.

About The Heart of America Foundation®

The Heart of America Foundation, a national nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC, uniquely combines volunteerism and literacy. The organization's focus is to provide children in need everywhere with the tools to read, succeed and make a difference. The Heart of America Foundation puts books into the hands of children who need them the most while transforming school libraries in underserved communities into vital and vibrant centers of learning that become the heart of a school. Since 1997, the organization has provided children living in poverty with over 1.85 million library and take-home books, and engaged volunteers in more than 1,020,000 hours of service to the community.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington is one of the largest affiliates of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. BGCGW serves nearly 21,000 children in 18 clubs, 3 outreach centers, and a summer camp all located in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Through a variety of educational, sports, and recreation, health, arts, and character development programs, BGCGW creates a positive environment where children are encouraged to develop their ambitions and turn them into reality. BGCGW helps boys and girls of all backgrounds, especially those who need us most, build confidence, develop character, and acquire skills that prepare them for school and for life as productive, civic-minded, and responsible adults. For more information on programs, please call 202-540-2300 or visit our website.

About Town Hall Education Arts & Recreation Campus - THEARC

Since its opening in 2005, Town Hall Education Arts & Recreation Campus - THEARC - has become a national prototype combining social, cultural, educational and health services. It is a $27 million, 110,000 square foot center on 16.5 acres of land in Southeast Washington, DC, providing a daily safe haven for the children and adults it serves, with a wide range of arts, educational, recreational, and health programs and services, in addition to a 365-seat theater, a regulation-size gymnasium, computer lab, art gallery, and state-of-the-art music, visual arts and dance studios.

SOURCE Capital One