Citibank Zrt. volunteers in Budapest joined more than 40,000 Citigroup volunteers in 100 countries for the company's first "Global Community Day." Around 100 volunteers of Citigroup Hungary, including employees and their families and friends, worked on Saturday, November 18 to provide support to five institutions of Education and Childcare in Budapest and its surroundings.

Citigroup's first Global Community Day was a worldwide effort involving more than 800 projects in over 400 cities around the world. Recognizing that many Citigroup employees volunteer year-round in their communities, Global Community Day celebrates Citigroup's volunteer spirit on one-day worldwide. Local volunteer teams were working on a variety of projects addressing specific community needs, including literacy, housing, environmental protection, nutrition, and health care.

"Citigroup is committed to mobilizing the enthusiasm and talents of our employees for community service," said Charles Prince, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup. "Citigroup's Global Community Day is a company-wide effort, with tens of thousands of volunteers working in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. This initiative certainly highlights the power and diversity of Citigroup's employees and our unwavering commitment to making communities better where we live and work," said Prince.

The local volunteer day program was developed in partnership with Citibank Zrt.'s non-profit partner organization, United Way Hungary. The five institutions of Education and Childcare selected for participation were all partner organizations of United Way Hungary.

"One of the main missions of United Way Hungary is to promote development of the volunteering culture in the country. It is not always the financial support that matters when we talk about helping foundations and other non-profit organizations, but also, volunteering work is very appreciated and important some times." - said Eva Vörös, project manager at the UW Foundation.

The largest of the five volunteer groups worked to add a splash of color to the day-to-day lives of children studying at the Prizma Elementary School, an institution that provides education to multiply handicapped, academically and mentally disadvantaged children, by redecorating its classrooms and corridors. At a second site, the LEA Foundation Mother & Child Hostel near Budapest, volunteers not only painted three rooms, but also built a playroom for the facility's children. Participants in yet a third project painted the window frames and walls of the 4th District's Humánus Foundation Primary School Library, as well as the exterior walls of the building's façade and of its separate wooden cafeteria building. The institute currently offers education to 106 disadvantaged primary school children with academic and behavioral problems. The fourth group visited the Cseppkő Street Children's Home, home to 120 youth and preschool children, where three rooms were renovated and the windows of the handicrafts building washed before the start of the holiday season. Finally, at the Nutcracker Foundation's Nutshell Home, which provides follow-up care to former wards-of-state, a small team of Citigroup employees with the help of professionals helped restore rooms damaged by water seepage.

Mr. Sajjad Razvi, Citigroup Country Officer for Citibank Zrt., said: "This program follows the tradition of other volunteer work we have done in Hungary, including constructing affordable housing for the needy through the Habitat for Humanity Foundation. We have seen that our Hungarian employees are sympathetic and ready to help, and are happy to participate in volunteer programs. It is both my conviction and my personal experience that work done on a volunteer basis is a special, unforgettable experience not only for the recipient, but also for the volunteer."

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