Umpqua Bank today launched “30 Days of Doing Good,” a month-long program to engage and support the community in giving back. As part of the campaign, Umpqua Bank will award a total of $25,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations and schools as selected by the community.

As part of “30 Days of Doing Good,” Umpqua Bank is also kicking off a month-long introduction to its new Learn to Earn financial literacy curriculum for grades K-5, which is available online at umpquabank.com/learntoearn. Umpqua associates are also available to teach the curriculum in local classrooms throughout the company’s footprint.

“30 Days of Doing Good” Photo Contest

Beginning today, Umpqua Bank invites community members to share photos that capture what’s great about the organizations and schools they value most on its Facebook. On April 17, 20 finalists will be randomly selected from all nominations that meet Umpqua’s grant-giving standards, with voting on Facebook through April 30. The winning five nonprofit organizations and five schools – ten grantees altogether – will be announced on May 1 and will each receive a grant of $2,500.

“Volunteerism and community giving is at the center of all we do at Umpqua Bank,” said Ray Davis, Umpqua Bank president and CEO. “Over the next 30 Days of Doing Good, we look forward to hearing from individuals in the community about how they volunteer and what matters to them, and to rewarding their efforts with grants to the organizations and schools they care about most.”

Photos should illustrate or celebrate how your favorite nonprofit or school is making a difference in the community. Examples could include a group posing in front of a recently completed community service project, an “action shot” representative of the great work the group does, or a special teacher or school program.

Official nomination rules and additional information can be found at facebook.com/umpquabank. Those submitting nominations must be 18 years of age, agree to the contest rules and hold the rights (or permission) to post the photo as part of the nomination process. One photo can be submitted, per day, per person. Organizations and schools can nominate themselves.

Activating Financial Literacy Month

Umpqua Bank’s Learn to Earn curriculum was developed for grades K-5 to meet state education standards, exceed best practices, and include topics ranging from identifying coins and paper money to complex subjects such as income and expenses.

Umpqua associates across the company’s footprint in Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada are available to teach the curriculum in local classrooms. Teachers can easily request an interactive, in-class session online by visiting the Learn to Earn website and clicking on “Find Us” to contact the nearest store.

Umpqua’s Connect Volunteer Network™

Established in 2004, Umpqua Bank’s Connect program has become a nationally-recognized volunteer program that provides associates with paid time-off each year—40 hours for full-time and 20 hours for part-time—to serve at youth-focused organizations, schools and community development programs.

Umpqua associates continually rank the Connect program as one of the bank’s most-valued employee benefits and nearly one-third of its participants say the program was their initial introduction to volunteerism. In 2012, 93 percent of Umpqua associates participated in Connect, serving more than 46,000 hours across a wide variety of organizations and schools throughout the company’s footprint, including Junior Achievement, Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity, Wounded Warrior Project.

About Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank, headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, with locations between San Francisco and Seattle, along the Oregon and Northern California Coast, and in Central Oregon and Northern Nevada. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for the past seven years in a row on FORTUNE magazine’s list of the country’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal, for the eighth consecutive year, Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon, and the state’s fifth-most admired company overall for 2012.

Umpqua Holdings also owns a retail brokerage subsidiary, Umpqua Investments, Inc., which offers services through Umpqua Bank stores and in dedicated offices throughout Oregon. Umpqua’s Wealth Management Division serves high net worth individuals and nonprofits by providing customized financial solutions and offerings. Umpqua Holdings Corporation is headquartered in Portland, Ore. For more information, visit www.umpquabank.com.

Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank

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