Bank contributes $15,000 to Peirsol’s "Race for the Oceans" campaign
BEIJING, Aug. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America today announced a $15,000 contribution to Aaron Peirsol’s "Race for the Oceans" campaign, following the U.S. Olympic swimmer’s gold medal performances in the men’s 100 meter backstroke and 4x100 meter medley relay at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Peirsol, a Bank of America endorsed athlete who also secured a silver medal in the men’s 200 meter backstroke, created "Race for the Oceans" with ocean advocacy group Oceana to raise awareness about the threats facing the world’s oceans by providing a forum for swimmers and swimming fans to "dive in" to ocean conservation. In addition to his accomplishments during the Beijing Olympic Games, Peirsol won three gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
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Peirsol, 25, and a native of Irvine, CA, is part of the Bank of America Hometown Hopefuls(R) program. Through this program, Bank of America provides financial support and marketing exposure to 12 U.S. Olympic athletes and hopefuls.
"Aaron’s accomplishments in the pool are equaled only by his dedication and commitment to protecting the world’s oceans," said Ray Bednar, Global Sponsorship Marketing executive, Bank of America. "We are delighted to celebrate Aaron’s tremendous success at the Beijing Olympic Games, and honor his achievements through our support of his Race for the Oceans advocacy."
As part of the company’s support for Peirsol’s campaign, Bank of America is sponsoring the Race for the Oceans Open Water Swim in Fort Meyers, Florida on November 8 and 9. The two-day program includes open water racing, clinics, multiple in-ocean training sessions and educational forums on the causes of and solutions to the declining health of the world’s oceans.
"Growing up in Orange County, I have seen a lot of change in the oceans, which is why I wanted to create this program," said Peirsol. "Now, to have the support of my sponsor, Bank of America, who is an established environmental leader, Race for the Oceans can have an even greater impact."
The contribution to Peirsol’s Race for the Oceans is consistent with Bank of America’s ten-year, $20 billion environmental initiative to address global climate change by promoting sustainability in its operations and through its lending, investing, new products and services.
Bank of America has a legacy of environmental leadership dating back two decades, when it began implementing and applying environmental considerations to its own operations and internal business practices. For example, the bank reduced paper usage per associate by 40 percent and set aggressive, voluntary goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the company by 9 percent by 2009 through the reduction of its energy consumption. Bank of America also reimburses its associates $3,000 when they buy a new hybrid vehicle -- a benefit that more than 2,200 individuals have taken advantage of to date.
Bank of America’s environmental initiatives emphasize business opportunities, created by green economic growth, by providing critical financing to encourage the development of environmentally sustainable products and technologies; accelerate the deployment of existing technologies; and increase energy efficiency. For more information about Bank of America’s environmental efforts, visit www.bankofamerica.com/environment .
Bank of America is widely recognized as a major corporate sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team, making it possible for the nation’s best athletes to represent the United States in world-class competition. Bank of America’s involvement with the Olympic Movement dates back to 1992, when it first signed on as an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Barcelona, Spain. The company has supported every U.S. Olympic Team since, including the Americans competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Race for the Oceans
Race for the Oceans is a campaign started in 2007 by Olympic swimmer Aaron Peirsol. Its mission is to engage swimmers and swimming fans in ocean conservation by spreading awareness and connecting them with the worldwide efforts of ocean conservation group, Oceana. Aaron’s website, www.RacefortheOceans.org, is a forum where his fans can read blog entries, view videos, make donations and take action in support one of several projects initiated by Oceana. To learn more about Oceana visit www.Oceana.org .
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 more than 59 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 6,100 retail banking offices, more than 18,500 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 25 million active users. Bank of America offers industry leading support to more than 4 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries and has relationships with 99 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 83 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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