Mayor Nutter And Denver Mayor Hickenlooper Make Baseball Bet That Focuses On Homeless Programs

Mayor Nutter And Denver Mayor Hickenlooper Make Baseball Bet That Focuses On Homeless Programsrn rnPhiladelphia, October 7, 2009- Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Denver Mayor Jim Hickenlooper today announced homeless families in Philadelphia or Denver will benefit when the Philadelphia Phillies play the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series. Comcast, Citizens Bank and FirstBank in Denver have joined the mayors in agreeing on a wager that looks like this:rnrnIf the Phillies win the series, Project H.O.M.E. will receive: A $1,000 donation from Comcast; a $500 donation from FirstBank; and a $500 donation from Citizens Bank. rnIf the Rockies win the series, Denver’s Road Home will receive: A $1,000 donation from Comcast; a $500 donation from FirstBank; and a $500 donation from Citizens Bank.rnrn“The Phillies-Rockies series will not only be an opportunity to see some great baseball but do some good for the community. Mayor Hickenlooper and I may not agree on which team to root for, but we are both committed to fighting homelessness. When the Phillies win, I look forward to collecting $2,000 for Project H.O.M.E.,” said Mayor Nutter.rnrnComcast, with 5,000 employees in Colorado and corporate headquarters is in Philadelphia is pleased to be on board with Mayor Nutter in making a wager for a good cause. “While I’m confident this will be a hotly contested series, the real winners will be those who will benefit from this challenge,” said Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen. “Comcast has a long history of giving back to the community and we’re delighted to go to bat to support this great cause.”rnrn“We all know the cheesesteaks in Philadelphia are good – almost as good as buffalo burgers made in Denver,” Mayor Hickenlooper said. “We also know a growing number of families in Denver and Philadelphia are struggling to make ends meet. So we are pleased to partner with Mayor Nutter to make sure homeless families in either city benefit from our wager. We are grateful to Comcast, FirstBank and Citizens Bank for helping us support the homeless and for joining us in cheering on the Rockies.” If the Rockies win, Denver’s Road Home will use the $2,000 to buy Thanksgiving Day meals and clothing for homeless families. rnrnAbout Project H.O.M.E. in Philadelphia: rnSince 1989, Project H.O.M.E. (www.projecthome.org) has helped more than 8,000 people break the cycle of homelessness and poverty by providing a continuum of care that includes street outreach, supportive housing and comprehensive services that focus on health care, education and employment. Project H.O.M.E. works to prevent homelessness and poverty through comprehensive neighborhood revitalization initiatives in North Philadelphia. These efforts include the renovation of vacant or deteriorated houses which are then sold to first-time homebuyers, economic reinvestment along the Ridge Avenue Corridor, greening of vacant lots, adult and youth education and enrichment programs at the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs and community-based health care services.rnrnAbout Denver’s Road Home: rnDenver’s Road Home (www.denversroadhome.org) began in October 2003 in response to an increasing rise in homeless persons in the City and County of Denver and a mounting increase in public safety concerns. At that time, Mayor Hickenlooper convened a commission to develop and recommend a comprehensive plan seeking to address the root causes of homelessness and bring an end to homelessness for the Denver community. There have been numerous successes: The City has developed more than 1,500 new units of housing for the homeless; the City has prevented more than 2,232 families from becoming homeless and 3,278 homeless people have obtained employment; the faith community continues to very involved; and in the midst of one of our country’s most challenging economic climates, the City has 500 new units of affordable housing in the pipeline that will be developed over the next two years. rn About Comcast Corporation:rnComcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 23.9 million cable customers, 15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.0 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.rnrn rnAbout FirstBank:rnFirstBank (www.efirstbank.com) is Colorado’s second largest depository institution and Colorado’s largest locally-owned bank. FirstBank has more than $9 billion in assets and more than 130 locations.rnrn rnrnAbout Citizens Bank:rnCitizens Bank of Pennsylvania (www.citizensbank.com) is a state-chartered bank with dual headquarters in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. It has 367 branches and 648 ATMs throughout Pennsylvania. It also operates 15 retail branches and 64 ATMs in southern New Jersey and a commercial loan office in Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $153 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. Citizens Financial Group, through its subsidiaries, has 1,480 branches, and approximately 3,600 ATMs and approximately 23,000 employees. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-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, 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 as of June 30, 2009. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).