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Contact Information: Tom Beerntsen, President & CEO, Heritage YMCA Group 630.420.6277 Ann Offermann, Managing Director External Affairs, National City Bank 312.338.2242     HERITAGE YMCA RECEIVES NATIONAL CITY BANK GRANT FOR Y SAFE ‘N SOUND PROGRAM (Providing parents with quality before- and after-school child care)   (Naperville, IL)…..The Heritage YMCA Group announced today that their before and after-school program, Y Safe ‘n Sound, has been awarded a significant grant from National City Bank. This grant recognizes National City at the YMCA Strong Kids Community Builder level of support and positions them as one of the Heritage YMCA Group’s very best donors. This grant award is being made to underscore National City’s commitment to literacy and education in the important Naperville, Aurora and Oswego market. The gift announcement is being made as the YMCA nears the completion of its 2008 Strong Kids Campaign to raise $500,000 to provide the funding necessary to insure that no child or family will ever be denied YMCA services because of an inability to pay the cost of participation in Y programs.   The Heritage YMCA delivers before- and after-school care at 35 elementary school sites in Naperville and Aurora, at the YMCA Naperville Family Resource Center at Scott Elementary School in Naperville and at the new YMCA Youth Technology Center at Jericho Circle in Aurora. In January of this year, the Y opened its first junior high after- school site at Madison Jr. High School in cooperation with School District 203. Each day over 800 children participate in Y before- and after-school programs. Over 100 of these children participate through fee assistance provided by the YMCA. The long-term partnership between the YMCA and local school districts has helped to provide a safe place for kids where Y staff deliver a curriculum designed to improve children’s academic performance. Tom Beerntsen, the President and CEO of the Heritage YMCA Group, indicated that the before- and after-school programming at school facilities is one of the very best examples of the vibrant partnerships that exists between the Y, the schools and the business community. “This significant gift from National City provides a tremendous boost to our program efforts with elementary and junior high school age children. There is a growing demand for a safe place before- and after-school for children of working parents. Our children are particularly vulnerable after school and this wonderful grant will allow us to more ably honor our promise to serve more children, even if they do not have the funds to pay the cost of participation,” Beerntsen explained. Joseph A. Gregoire, President and CEO of National City, Illinois banking, explained that this grant to the YMCA is a continuing statement of National City’s commitment to children and the importance of education, literacy and equal opportunities for all children. “National City is pleased with the quality, scope and reach of the program across multiple school districts. We were especially impressed by the YMCA’s recent commitment to provide a technology center for the kids and families at Jericho Circle in Aurora,” Gregoire explained.   In early December the Heritage YMCA Group, through its Aurora Family YMCA branch, opened the YMCA Youth Technology Center at Jericho Circle. The start up funding for the equipment and staff for this center was raised through private donors. The center features 14 new Dell Computers, new desks and chairs and is open every week day to children in third grade through high school with classes designed to teach basic and advanced computer skills.   Beerntsen explained that the timing of the National City gift is most helpful. “This significant National City gift is very helpful as we work to successfully complete our YMCA Strong Kids Campaign which is designed to raise awareness about the work the YMCA does with kids and families of all economic abilities. At the YMCA, no one is ever turned away from YMCA activities because of a lack of resources and best of all, no one ever knows who pays and who does not. Kids are kids and this gift will allow us to honor our promise to serve any child who is interested in Y programming,” Beerntsen concluded.