Citizens Bank distributes backpacks to local children as part of its Gear for Grades program

Citizens Bank colleagues recently stuffed backpacks with new school supplies for foster children as part of Citizens’ Gear for Grades program. New school supplies were collected at Citizens Bank branches across Connecticut and filled in logo-free backpacks to help ensure children return to school with the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.

The Gear for Grades program is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, the bank’s program for contributing to the economic vitality of communities. This year, 1,100 children in Connecticut will receive backpacks. Since 2003, the program has helped more than 215,000 children across the bank’s 12-state footprint. This year’s program is in partnership with the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents and the YMCA.