City National Bank awards literacy grants

City National Bank has awarded nearly 60 Reading is The way up literacy grants totaling more than $53,000 to support literacy-based projects as well as financial literacy to elementary, middle and high schools in California, Nevada, New York and Georgia.

The grants range from $500 to $1,000 and will help augment or expand literacy projects that were judged to be creative and engaging, and that would have a tangible effect on student achievement.

City National’s “Reading is The Way Up” literacy program, in partnership with Barnes & Noble, totaled more than $300,000 to nearly 30 schools and nonprofits in California, Nevada, New York City, and Nashville, Tenn.

Customers at 17 Barnes & Noble stores in four states donated 51,500 new books, and City National provided a $150,000 cash donation for additional books to be purchased through Barnes & Noble by librarians at each of the schools and nonprofits receiving books.

This year’s donation set a new record for the highest number of books ever donated through the holiday book drive program, which totaled a little more than 100,000 books.