Comerica Bank Partners with RAFT to Enrich Classroom Libraries and Boost Community Literacy

Annual Gift of Reading Campaign Collects Books; Distributes Thousands of Books to Teachers across San Francisco Bay Area

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

News Facts:

• Comerica Bank, Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) and the San Jose Mercury News are partnering to collect new and nearly new books in Alameda, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties and make them available to underserved pre-K through grade 12 students across the Bay Area.
• The partnership between Comerica Bank and RAFT kicks off the 22nd annual Mercury News Gift of Reading campaign.
• To increase student literacy rates and academic success, the Mercury News Gift of Reading campaign will also help teachers build up their classroom libraries with the donated books.
• RAFT seeks unwrapped new and "like new" books that are appropriate for a diverse population of pre K-12 children. Financial donations from local companies, community foundations, and individuals will be used to purchase additional new books for teachers and underserved students throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Book Drop-off/Donation Details:

• Beginning November 13( )and ending December 11, RAFT and Comerica Bank will be gathering books. By distributing the books to the organization's 8000 member teachers, RAFT will make them available to San Francisco Bay Area schools and underserved students.
• RAFT will distribute the books at its San Jose and Redwood City locations between December 3( )and December 19.
• The 35 drop-off points for the books are currently listed online at www.raft.net and www.mercurynews.info/gor. These drop-off points include RAFT San Jose at 1355 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95131 and RAFT Redwood City at 101 Twin Dolphin Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065 as well as 21 selected branches of Comerica Bank in Alameda, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties.
• Financial donations, which will be used to purchase additional books, can be made online at www.raft.net.
• Volunteers interested in helping RAFT organize and sort the donated books can sign up online at www.raft.net.

Supporting Quotes:

"Comerica Bank is dedicated to improving the communities where we live and work," said J. Michael Fulton, President and CEO of Comerica Bank's Western Market, based in San Jose. "We are honored to work with RAFT and the Mercury News to ensure that all students have equal access to the opportunities that only a high level of literacy can provide. We look forward to working with RAFT, our customers and our communities to make this year's Gift of Reading campaign a success."

"For our children, reading is an absolutely crucial first step toward mastering an understanding of how our world works and gaining the confidence they need to effectively participate in it," said Mary Simon, Executive Director of RAFT. "We are pleased to work with Comerica Bank and the San Jose Mercury News to make it easier for all teachers to help their students work toward a bright future."

About RAFT

Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) is a non-profit organization that transforms the classroom experience by providing teachers with the materials, training, and support they need to increase student achievement. RAFT's hands-on resources make learning more engaging, memorable, and real for pre K-12 students. The organization offers professional development workshops, how-to demonstrations, low-cost classroom supplies, and pre-packaged classroom activity kits in math, science and art. RAFT impacts 600,000 children each year by "repurposing" materials commonly used in the day-to-day operations of a wide variety of businesses. By supporting RAFT, these companies minimize their footprint on the environment and enable teachers to offer curriculum-based, hands-on activities for pennies per student. Founded by former math and science educator Mary Simon 15 years ago, RAFT serves 8,000 teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit www.raft.net or call RAFT at (408) 451-1420.

About Comerica Bank

Comerica Incorporated is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas that is strategically aligned by three business segments: The Business Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth & Institutional Management. Comerica focuses on relationships and helping people and businesses be successful. Comerica Bank also has locations in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $59.6 billion as of September 30, 2009. Web site: www.comerica.com.

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