FIRST BANK ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST PROJECT LAUNCH WINNERS

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C., March 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- First Bank is excited to announce the first winners of its Project Launch contest. Project Launch, part of the Power of Good, First Bank's comprehensive social responsibility program, is designed to fund projects that improve or create more educational opportunities in the communities throughout the Carolinas.

The year-long contest encourages innovation and creativity and is open to educators, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers who may need the financial support and a partnership that will help them get their projects off the ground. Winners are selected and announced monthly through the end of the year.

The following February winners have been awarded a collective total of $22,800 for their projects.

• Octavio Perez of Hickory, NC, benefitting third-grade classes at Clyde Campbell Elementary. The goal is to purchase a classroom subscription for a reading app call Novel Effect, which reads books aloud, immersing students into the story producing rich engagement with reading.

• Angela Ramos Martinez of Burlington, NC, benefiting Eastlawn Elementary School. Ms. Martinez will create a library that contains multicultural content in two Languages, English and Spanish, to promote reading in bilingual students of dual programs and students in the process of learning English as a second language (ESL).

• Jonathan Thill of Asheboro, NC, benefitting black business owners in the Asheboro area. Dr. Thill is the co-founder of Venture Asheboro and plans to host a Black Business Accelerator program that is free or is extremely low-cost for residents in the Piedmont Triad region. The session would consist of an 8-week program with all workshops being hosted online and recorded and include support from our local community college in the form of one-on-one business coaching.

• Devin Hocutt of Angier, NC, benefiting Harnett Central High School, plans to turn a room into a recording studio with technology that would empower students to continue their love, learning and expression of music, and encourage them to succeed and be better musicians as they record, compose, and explore.

• Debbie Bond of Elgin, SC, benefiting science students at PACE Academy. The funds will create an easily-accessible-by-all garden for students to start planting seeds (tomatoes, green beans, carrots, potatoes, corn, etc.), create a crop rotation over the course of the years, and teach students how to grow crops that are needed to protect other crops.

• Leesa Jones of Washington, NC, benefiting the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum. The goal is to have traveling exhibits and presentations go into schools, colleges, book clubs, nursing homes and community outreach programs to share the amazing story of people working together and to share the success of the underground railroad movement and Abolitionist movement in history.

• Lynn Duffy of Leland, NC, benefiting all who live and visit North Brunswick County. The plan is to work with the local Parks and Recreation department to establish a StoryWalk, an innovative approach to combine literacy and fitness. The half-mile path and story-time adventure will be well-placed with legible stations upon which they will have pieces of a short story for enjoyment while wandering.

• Liz Noland of Winston-Salem, NC, benefiting the Downtown School, will launch 'Two Books, One School,' a schoolwide series that spans grades K-8. Every student and classroom teacher receives a copy of the book: Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson (K-5) and The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora (6-8) and over two months students and families are encouraged to read and discuss the books, while teachers use the books to enhance classroom instruction. Staff members will record weekly read-alouds of the books to make sure all students are able to participate and feel included, and the students will hear directly from the authors as well.

"We received over 100 entries and had a very hard time narrowing them down," said Mike Mayer, president and CEO of First Bank. "We hope these individuals find the funds helpful, but even just as important, we plan to continue our partnership with each and have our local bankers support these initiatives with guidance, volunteer time and mentorship."

Every entry not selected at this time will remain in the pool of entries and will be considered each month. To learn more or enter the contest visit https://localfirstbank.com/projectlaunch/.

About us:

First Bank is the banking subsidiary of First Bancorp and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $10.6 billion. As a state-chartered community bank, First Bank operates 121 bank branches in North Carolina and South Carolina. Since 1935, First Bank has taken a tailored approach to banking, combining best-in-class financial solutions, helpful local expertise, and technology to manage a home or business. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC." Visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

SOURCE First Bank