Emigrant Savings Bank Becomes Lead Corporate Sponsor of Prepare New York Coalition

NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prepare New York Coalition today announced that Emigrant Savings Bank has become the lead corporate sponsor of the coalition's multifaith initiative designed to encourage interreligious understanding as our nation approaches the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

For the past year, the Coalition has worked to prepare New York for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by bringing together diverse religious communities for education, discussion and outreach designed to strengthen the social fabric of the city and serve as a model of cooperation. Dedicated to promoting freedom of religion for all and to dispelling misconceptions and stereotypes regarding Muslim Americans, the Coalition is fostering healing and civil dialogue as New York and the nation nears the 9/11 anniversary. More than 60 partner organizations, religious and secular, have already joined Prepare New York.

Prepare New York's steering committee organizations include Auburn Seminary and its Center for Multifaith Education, Interfaith Center of New York, Intersections International, Quest, Odyssey networks and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, where Howard P. Milstein, Chairman and CEO of Emigrant, serves as a founding member of the Leadership Council.

"Emigrant Savings Bank was founded in the 19th century to serve a community that had been shut out of many New York institutions due to prejudice and religious intolerance," said Milstein. "It is fitting, therefore, that we support an initiative dedicated to healing and harmony for all religious groups, as New York and the nation approaches this solemn anniversary."

Prepare New York's efforts feature online and real world components, viral marketing, and media materials and training tailored to diverse religious voices. Curricula and other resources have been developed that build mutual respect and understanding across lines of faith and culture, promote tolerance, and celebrate the rich diversity that is central to the fabric of life in New York. Prepare New York is also coordinating more than 500 "coffee hour" conversations throughout the city in the months before and after the 9/11 anniversary.

Details of the Emigrant Donation

Emigrant Savings Bank will donate $50,000 to fund the dissemination of educational materials nationally, support Prepare New York's public discussions (known as "Coffee Hour Conversations"), and promote "9/11 Ribbons of Hope" events that will take place on the weekend of the 10th anniversary of September 11th attacks.

"Ribbons of Hope" invites individuals, families and organizations to write a thought or prayer for the healing of the city and the world on a ribbon, then bring those ribbons to Battery Park between the hours of noon on Friday, September 9 and dusk on Sunday, September 11. The ribbons will affix to a large tapestry that reflects the multicolored, multi-textured mosaic that is the City of New York. Prepare New York will also support a series of "9/11 Walks" in city neighborhoods, culminating with a ceremony it will conduct to commemorate the victims of the Word Trade Center attack at Pier 40 in Manhattan. A dedication ceremony for the completed "Ribbons of Hope" tapestry will take place on Monday, September 12th.

Emigrant and Milstein Commitment To 9/11 Causes

Emigrant and the Milstein family, which owns the bank, have been strong supporters of 9/11-related charities and causes. Howard P. Milstein, Emigrant's Chairman and CEO, is an active Board member of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and the Milstein family pledged $5 million to support the 9/11 Memorial and its mission. Howard and Edward Milstein also co-chaired and provided the lead gift for the COPE campaign, which offered post-traumatic stress (PTS) counseling to first responders and their families in the years following 9/11. In addition, the Milstein family provided the funding to ensure that each of the 3,000 victims' families received a memorial sculpture made from World Trade Center steel by sculptor Bryan Hunt. The artist's original work is part of the permanent collection of the museum.

Moreover, in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, Milstein family properties in Battery Park City provided rest areas and food for first responders at Ground Zero, while the family's Milford Plaza Hotel donated thousands of hotel rooms and became a major gathering point for donated supplies that were delivered to the World Trade Center site. Various Milstein executives were made available for several months to aid in the post-disaster relief efforts.

Most recently, Emigrant Savings Bank and the Milstein family provided $45,000 in funding for "Art For Heart: Remembering 9/11," a new book of art and messages from children who witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center. The book is being published in conjunction with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. All proceeds from the book go to support the Foundation.

"Just as Emigrant Bank's history is interwoven with the history of our great city, so too are we irrevocably intertwined with the tragic events of September 11th," Mr. Milstein said. "As we approach the 10th anniversary of that fateful day, my family -- and everyone in the Emigrant family -- is honored to play a role in fostering healing, civil dialogue, and religious and racial respect."

About Emigrant Bank

Founded in 1850 to serve the financial need of a growing America and a dynamic emigrant population, Emigrant Bank has served generations of new Americans who came to America to seek a "better way of life" for themselves and their families. In keeping with Emigrant's core mission, the bank's branch-based giving was built upon a similar foundation of helping to sustain and improve the diverse communities where Emigrant provides retail banking services.

Emigrant's branch-based contribution program supports local community initiatives that sustain and enhance the vibrancy of the neighborhoods Emigrant calls home. The bank's regional focus allows it to identify needs where financial support can build on the successes of non-profit organizations. At each of Emigrant's regional banks, consideration is provided for contribution requests addressing five primary issues: education/youth initiatives, health/social services, cultural programs, faith-based programs, and community development.

SOURCE Emigrant Savings Bank