BBVA Compass brings toys, holiday cheer to Dallas elementary school students

DALLAS, Dec. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The BBVA Compass Foundation donated toys to nearly 390 students today at F.P. Caillet Elementary School as part of its new program, Project Blue Elf, which provides toys to children in need across the bank's footprint.

The program is one component of a seasonal initiative that integrates donations from the BBVA Compass Foundation with local bank volunteer activities. During the event at the school in North Dallas, 55 bank volunteers helped students in grades pre-K through second decorate holiday cookies and then distributed age-appropriate toys that included dolls, puzzles and games.  

"We created Project Blue Elf to brighten the children's holiday season and also to help out the public schools that teach and mentor kids in low‐income neighborhoods," said BBVA Compass Corporate Responsibility and Reputation Director Reymundo Ocañas. "Community involvement is a large part of the BBVA Compass culture, and our work in low-income schools is one of the most rewarding things we do because we are part of an effort to ensure the kids' success and integration into the community."

The program kicked off on Nov. 20 in Laredo, Texas, and a similar event was held in Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 11. Three more events will be held — in Phoenix on Dec. 18, and Houston and New York on Dec. 19.

"The kids were eager to receive their toys, but I think that our great volunteers were even more excited to give the gifts and spend time with them," said BBVA Compass Dallas City President Key Coker.

To join in the Project Blue Elf initiative, people can share the online version of the bank's holiday card at bbvacompass.com/happyholidays. The program follows the bank's 2012 holiday initiative, Mission to Feed a Million, which benefited food banks.

About BBVA Group
BBVA Compass Bancshares Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, is the largest financial institution in Mexico and has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt region of the United States. Its diversified business is geared toward high-growth markets and relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies best practices. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes. More information about the BBVA Group can be found at www.bbva.com.

About BBVA Compass
BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 687 branches, including 351 in Texas, 90 in Alabama, 78 in Arizona, 64 in California, 45 in Florida, 38 in Colorado and 21 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (5th). BBVA Compass has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration and was recently awarded the 2013 Celent Model Bank Award for its new core banking platform. Additional information about BBVA Compass can be found at www.bbvacompass.com.

Editor's Note:
BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank.

SOURCE BBVA Compass

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