November 15, 2005

Winner - Salem Baptist Church Business Competition

ARISE…which stands for “To Actively Raise and Inspire Women to Successfully Build Businesses with Excellence” was a project launched in 2004 by the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago, under the leadership of Pastor James T. Meeks and the direction of First Lady, Mrs. Jamell Meeks. Her vision for the ARISE program was to help women overcome barriers to the successful launching and sustaining of their businesses.

This year, more than 150 women enrolled in the course. Of this number, 92 successfully completed the course by preparing written business plans and showcasing their businesses to the public during an Expo sponsored by Salem Baptist Church. Salem invited business professionals from the community to judge the women on the physical presentation of their business and strength of their business plans. This year's top finishers were Theresa Doby, Salon and Spa of Peace, 1st Place Winner and recipient of $5,000; Valerie F. Leonard, Community Development Consultant, 2nd Place Winner and recipient of $2,500; Pamela Winston-Hike, New Life Cleaning Service, 3rd Place Winner and recipient of $1,000.

Over the past two years, 243 women have completed the class and participated in the ARISE Expo. Salem has awarded prizes totaling nearly $20,000 to the top 15 rated businesses that competed, and presented Certificates of Completion to all students finishing and participating.

Pamela Winston Hike, New Life Cleaning Service, 3rd Place Winner; Denise Rogers, ARISE Program Coordinator; Valerie F. Leonard, Community Development Consultant, 2nd Place Winner.

Pamela Winston Hike, New Life Cleaning Service, 3rd Place Winner; Denise Rogers, ARISE Program Coordinator; Valerie F. Leonard, Community Development Consultant, 2nd Place Winner; Gwen O'Connor-Griffin, ARISE Program participant.

Pamela Winston Hike, New Life Cleaning Service, 3rd Place Winner; Valerie F. Leonard, Community Development Consultant, 2nd Place Winner; Theresa Doby, Salan and Spa of Peace, 1st Place Winner.

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November 30, 2004

Reporters May Contact:
Diane Wagner, 1.312.828.2932 - Chicago
diane.wagner@bankofamerica.com

Tracy Boyce, 1.704.388.1159 - National
tracy.boyce@bankofamerica.com

Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative
Chicago Award Recipients Named in Inaugural Presentation

Chicago - Bank of America, Illinois market president Terry Perucca today named the first Neighborhood Excellence Initiative award winners for Chicago. Recipients were chosen based on their commitment to build and strengthen their communities.

Mr. Terry Parucca, President of Bank of America, Illinois presents Valerie Leonard with the Local Hero Award, and Presents Willie Bobbitt, of St. Agatha Family Empowerment, with a $5,000 grant.

The Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative is a two-year, $15 million program that recognizes, nurtures and reward organizations, local heroes and student leaders - in 30 of the bank's major communities across the country.

Seated (left to right): Mrs. Pauline Person, Mrs. Annie Lott, Valerie Leonard, Mr. Theodis R. Leonard. Standing (left to right): Ms. Brenetta Howell Barrett, Mrs. Essie Leonard, Ms. Patricia Peters, Ms. Sylvia White, Mrs. Nicole Bobbitt, Ms. Stanley Merr

“The Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative is about celebrating local leaders,” said Terry Perucca. “It is our goal to help build organizational and community capacity by recognizing, supporting and developing the individuals and organizations that make a difference in our neighborhoods. Our award recipients, through their dedication, commitment and perseverance have created positive change within our neighborhoods and throughout the Chicago community.”

First Row (standing) Ms. Willie Cole, (seated) Mrs. Pauline Person, Mrs. Annie Lott, (standing) Ms. Stania Flowers. Second Row: Mrs. Alta Flowers (to the left, behind Stania Flowers), Mrs. Nicole Bobbitt. Third Row: Valerie Leonard, Mrs. Essie Leonard

The Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative was developed to promote neighborhood excellence by identifying and addressing local priorities for each market. This focus will help Bank of America meet the most pressing priorities of each community by providing operating support and capacity building for nonprofit organizations, recognition for local leaders, and opportunities for young people to serve their neighborhoods.

The Neighborhood Excellence Initiative is composed of three programs:

Neighborhood Builders provides $200,000 in grant funding and leadership training over the course of two years to two neighborhood nonprofit organizations working to promote vibrant neighborhoods in 30 markets across the country. The combination of operating support and leadership training helps strengthen the capacity and infrastructure of the selected organizations and promotes the professional development of their leaders. Neighborhood Builder award winners for Chicago are Bethel New Life, Inc.; Bethel New Life creates employment, housing, and business opportunities for West Garfield Park residents. Bethel’s proven approach focuses on identifying and enhancing the community’s hidden assets to develop community-driven, value centered solutions. Bethel will utilize the award for additional staff and

· pre-development costs for a 200-unit development located within walking distance of a transit stop. The second Builder award winner is Little Village Community Development Corporation (LVCDC); LVCDC is playing a key role in building local leadership to address gang violence, improve access to education and job opportunities. LVCDC serves Little Village, a young and growing community at a critical juncture. LVCDC will utilize the award to sustain and leverage the organization’s capacity in order to continue to grow as an effective, high-impact community development organization.

· Local Heroes recognizes and honors five community heroes per year in each of the 30 selected communities whose achievements and leadership on local issues contributes significantly to neighborhood vitality. Recipients will be able to direct a $5,000 contribution to an eligible nonprofit of their choice and will be celebrated at a public ceremony. Local Heroes award winners for Chicago are Ivy Anderson, working to enable girls from diverse background to share the many enriching experiences that Girl Scouts can offer; John Green, founder of Emmaus Ministries, an outreach effort helping male prostitutes gain back their self-esteem and get their lives on track; Valerie Leonard, a resident leader in the North Lawndale community empowering people through civic engagement and education; Rita Simo, founder of The People’s Music School located in the Uptown community and providing free, high quality music instruction and performance opportunities to a diverse population; and Kyungnan Yu, a leader in the Korean community working with survivors of domestic violence and bringing a variety of social service programs to Korean families.

· Student Leaders recognizes five high school students in their junior or senior years in each of the 30 designated Bank of America communities that are identified as exemplary young people with an interest in improving their neighborhoods. To further their personal and educational growth, each student will participate in an eight-week paid summer internship with the local chapter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, as well as a mentorship program arranged by Bank of America. Student Leader award winners for Chicago are Gustavo Acosta, Curie Metropolitan High School; Arman Butt, Northside College Preparatory High School; Mark Koll, St. Laurence High School; Renata Piasecka, Steinmetz Academic Centre; and Elena Yoshimura, Northside College Preparatory High School.

A local selection committee comprised of key members of the Chicago community assisted in the selection of winning organizations and individuals. Committee members included:

· Mary Cahillane, Chief Financial Officer, Spencer Foundation
· Gloria Castillo, President, Chicago United
· Les Coney, Senior Managing Director, Aon Corporation
· Isabel Stewart, Executive Director, Chicago Foundation for Women
· David Vitale, Chief Administrative Officer, Chicago Board of Education

Bank of America Charitable Investments
With a $1.5 billion philanthropic goal over the next 10 years, Bank of America Charitable Investments is one of the largest corporate charitable organizations in the country. The mission of Bank of America Charitable Investments group is to deploy a targeted array of philanthropic resources that help neighborhoods grow and prosper, thereby creating thriving environments where the bank’s customers, associates and shareholders live, work and invest. For more information about Bank of America Charitable Investments, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving 33 million consumer relationships with more than 5,800 retail banking offices, more than 16,500 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 11 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 150 countries and has relationships with 98 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 85 percent of the Global Fortune 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (ticker: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.