content_image/238790.jpg
<img src='content_image/238790.jpg'>

Integral to our continued success is the health and vitality of the communities we serve. Our community giving is centered on empowering people — the individuals who are the backbone of families, non- profit and faith-based organizations, businesses and government that make a community strong. 

The Bank’s priority is to give people access to the tools and knowledge they need to be successful. Since fulfillment of nearly any goal begins with understanding money, knowing how to use it wisely and having the means to invest for the future, Fifth Third Bank’s mission is financial empowerment. 

We have developed several signature programs and partnerships that help people become financially sound. The Fifth Third Bank Young Bankers Club is designed for fifth-grade students and teaches the basics of money using a curriculum that meets state and local educational standards in mathematics and social studies. Nearly 6,000 students have graduated from Young Bankers Club since 2004. 

Our financial empowerment programs grow with the children and, when they reach the ninth grade, they can take the Bank’s six-week financial literacy course, Smart Bankers Club. Smart Bankers Club teaches teenagers about money management, including budgeting, understanding credit and maintaining bank accounts. 

In 2010, Fifth Third Bank announced an innovative partnership with The Lampo Group, the company of nationally-syndicated radio talk show host and money management expert Dave Ramsey, to expand our suite of financial programs further into high school. Fifth Third Bank is sponsoring Ramsey’s “Foundations in Personal Finance” curriculum for 11th- and 12th-grade students in select high schools throughout our 12-state footprint. Our sponsorship enables students to take the course at no cost to the school or to themselves, 

## Community Giving 

just as many states are adopting legislation that mandates financial literacy education in schools. The pilot program includes 11,000 students throughout 2010 and 2011. 

The Bank also offers additional financial empowerment programs for adults. The eBus, a 40-foot retrofitted bus, travels to traditionally underserved communities to take financial education and services directly to people in those neighborhoods. On the bus, individuals can get their credit score, learn how to obtain a mortgage or avoid foreclosure and receive individualized financial counseling. The Bank’s Dream Guard initiative also helps empower individuals by providing tips and advice on topics ranging from ways to reduce everyday expenses, to extend the life of what you own and many other topics related to budgeting, planning and using money wisely in challenging times. Dream Guard tip sheets are available for free on the Bank’s website, www.53.com. 

In addition to its emphasis on financial empowerment, Fifth Third Bank is an active supporter of many charitable organizations, community development projects and neighborhood activities that make a positive impact in people’s lives. In 2010, the Bank made $2.5 million in grants through its corporate foundation, the Fifth Third Foundation and It invested $254 million in revitalization projects through the Fifth Third Community Development Corporation (CDC). Through our many Bank departments, including those focused on meeting Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) requirements, we supported thousands of local events and initiatives, and our employees volunteered both their time and money to causes they believe in, from raising $7 million for the United Way to environmental causes, fundraising walks and more. More information can be found in the Fifth Third Bancorp Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which will be available in May 2011 at www.53.com/csrreport. 

