Comerica Bank Awards $30,000 to Establish Partnership and Celebrate the
Abilities of People with Disabilities
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AbilityFirst's mission
of helping individuals with disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome and
cerebral palsy, reach their full potential throughout their lives, will be
on display when hundreds of the organization's program participants,
employees and supporters gather in Exposition Park at the Los Angeles
Sports Arena on Sunday, March 2 at 7:15 a.m., to participate in the 5K Walk
event of the Los Angeles Marathon, raising funds for AbilityFirst.
As an Official Charity of the Los Angeles Marathon, AbilityFirst is an
original charitable partner of the event, marking 23 consecutive years of
participation. Adding extra excitement to this year's Marathon efforts,
AbilityFirst is pleased to announce that Comerica Bank has committed to
joining the AbilityFirst 5K Marathon Team as Presenting Sponsor.
"We are motivated and inspired by the commitment that Comerica Bank has
made to AbilityFirst," states Lori Gangemi, AbilityFirst President. "By
sharing our vision of focusing on capabilities and expanding possibilities,
Comerica Bank is helping to increase awareness of our organization
throughout the community."
The AbilityFirst Marathon Team is welcoming Comerica Bank employees to
the AbilityFirst family. On race day, Comerica Bank employees and their
family members and friends will join together with AbilityFirst to create
the largest Los Angeles Marathon 5K Team, and demonstrating a mutual
commitment to children, teens and adults with disabilities.
"Giving back is more than just writing a check. It is about people
dedicating time to make a difference," said Mike Dokmanovich, executive
vice president, Comerica Bank Middle Market. "At Comerica, our objective is
to build meaningful relationships with organizations that value the growth
and well-being of our community. Our ongoing employee-community support is
a cornerstone of our success."
In addition to traditional Marathon fundraising methods, AbilityFirst
Marathon Team members and sponsors also raise money via the AbilityFirst
website at http://www.abilityfirst.org. Team members and AbilityFirst locations
have created personal pages that communicate why they are participating in
the Marathon, as well as their financial goals. Family, friends,
co-workers, employers and businesses can visit the pages to sponsor an
individual or specific location. Upon completion of the on-line form,
sponsor messages of support are posted, along with total dollars raised to
date, allowing spirited competition and encouraging increased giving.
Participants of the 5K event will begin and end the 3.1 mile course at
the Los Angeles Sports Arena. In addition, many team members will
participate in the full marathon and biking event in support of
AbilityFirst.
For additional information on becoming an AbilityFirst Marathon Team
Member or sponsor, please call Julie Benn at 626.396.1010, ext. 334.
About AbilityFirst
AbilityFirst, established as the Crippled Children's Society in 1926,
is one of Southern California's largest and oldest nonprofit social service
organizations. AbilityFirst operates a network of 23 facilities for people
of all ages with physical and developmental disabilities (including autism,
cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Down syndrome, and other neurological
impairments). Operating in the greater Los Angeles area, AbilityFirst
supports children and adults with disabilities with after school programs
at community/recreation centers, work centers, community employment, year
round camping, affordable and accessible residential housing complexes, and
family-style homes for adults and seniors. Through these venues, its
skilled, professional staff provides support in a wide variety of
employment, recreational and social service programs. AbilityFirst is
accredited by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation
Facilities) and the American Camping Association. Additional information
about AbilityFirst can be found at http://www.abilityfirst.org.
About Comerica Bank
The Western Market of Comerica Bank includes 94 banking centers in two
states, California and Arizona: 85 in the key California markets of San
Francisco and the East Bay, San Jose, Los Angeles, Orange County, San
Diego, Fresno, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz/Monterey; and nine banking
centers in greater Phoenix, Ariz.
Comerica Bank is a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), a
financial services company headquartered in Dallas and strategically
aligned into three major business segments: the Business Bank, the Retail
Bank, and Wealth & Institutional Management. Comerica focuses on
relationships and helping businesses and people be successful. Comerica
bank locations can be found in Michigan, California, Texas, Florida and
Arizona, with select businesses operating in several other states, Canada
and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $62.3 billion at Dec. 31,
2007. For more information, go to http://www.comerica.com/.
