Carnival at Whistler School wraps up YMCA Community School Initiative

      funded by Charter One Bank and its 'Making Music Matter' program



    CHICAGO, July 24 /EMWNews/ -- "It's show time!" this Friday at noon

for more than 50 students ages 5 through 13 who have been honing their

performing arts talents in a program at Whistler School on the far South

Side. These special performances are part of an all-day carnival to

celebrate the final day of the community school summer program at Whister.

This initiative by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and funded throughout

the summer by Charter One Bank, is offered to kids in challenged

neighborhoods and designed to be educational while keeping them safe. The

community school program continues through the summer at the Libby

Community School, Ryerson Community School, Marillac Social Center and the

LEARN Charter School.



    The performances will include songs sung by the kindergartners and

first graders, and a dance routine by the second- and third-graders

(choreographed by a former Whistler student) along with a rendition of the

Disney classic "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." The boys in grades four through eight

will perform an affirmative rap and their own stomp routine based on the

African American Fraternity stomp traditions. And the fourth through eighth

grade girls will perform a special dance routine. The students not only

helped develop the routines and skits, but also designed their costumes.



    Friday's events at Whistler School will have a carnival theme and

include a magician, face painting, balloons, cotton candy, temporary

tattoos and more. The children's parents will also attend.



    The performers at Whistler are among 600 students at five community

schools who participated in the YMCA's Community School initiative for

children and their families. The YMCA's summer program is funded through a

$200,000 grant by Charter One and by contributions raised through the

bank's Making Music Matter program. Now in its third year, Making Music

Matter focuses on raising awareness, visibility and financial support for

nonprofit organizations throughout the Chicago area.



    Charter One employees proudly volunteer their time to participate in

many community events and will help staff the Whistler carnival.






    Event Information



    WHO:    Children ages 5-13

    WHAT:   Song, dance and rap performances at a Carnival to celebrate the

            achievements of students participating in the YMCA Community

            School initiative

    WHERE:  Whistler School, 11533 S. Ada St. (S. Ada and W. 115th) Chicago,

            IL, 60643

    WHEN:   Friday, July 25, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

    Special instructions: Event will take place outdoors near the North

playground. Members of the media will need to show credentials for

admittance.

    About Charter One



    Charter One is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating in Illinois,

Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. It has 466 branches and more than 780 ATMs. It

has 121 branches and 358 ATMs in Illinois. Charter One's Web site is

charterone.com.



    RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a

$159 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence,

R.I. CFG's two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank

of Pennsylvania. They operate a 13-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, Indiana, 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

and deposits. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).

CFG's Web site is citizensbank.com.



    About the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago



    Through its 65 locations and more than 100 extension sites, the YMCA

helps children learn and grow, teaches young people to lead, brings

families closer, and encourages individual health and well-being. The

fourth largest non-profit in Chicago and one of the largest human services

organizations in the nation, YMCA programs impact hundreds of thousands of

lives annually, helping to strengthen neighborhoods and respond to

community needs across Chicagoland. To learn more about the YMCA of

Metropolitan Chicago, visit http://www.ymcachgo.org.