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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Dianna Garrett (510) 433-1150, x7135 dgarrett@cei.elders.org 
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Mr. Jongmin Park, Vice President & Loan Officer, Center Bank, Mr.
Peter Szutu, President & CEO of Center for Elders' Independence and
Mr. Jun Myong Lee, Senior Vice President & Deputy Regional Director,
Center Bank |
Center Bank Helps East Bay Seniors OAKLAND,CA. -
Surrounded by cheerful Holiday decorations on the week before
Christmas, Center Bank presented Center for Elders' Independence
President & CEO Peter Szutu with a $1,000 donation. "This
is just the start," says Center Bank Senior Vice President Mr. Jun
Myong Lee. "Center Bank is very happy to be here in the Oakland
community and we are committed to helping good organizations that serve
the neighborhoods here." Center Bank is making donations to Center for
Elders' Independence, a violence prevention center and a children's
organization in the Oakland area. Staff from Center for Elders' Independence and Center Bank met at the grand re-opening of their branch at 360-14th St. on October 22nd,
2010. Mr. Lee then came to tour the Downtown Oakland PACE Center run by
Center for Elders' Independence where he observed seniors from the
Chinese, Korean, African American, Latino and Anglo communities going
into the clinic to see their doctor in the full service geriatric
clinic, doing exercises' with their physical therapist in the rehab
clinic and having hot lunches in the day center. "It
is important that we take care of our elders. I have toured their
center, and I like what Center for Elders' Independence is doing," says
Mr. Lee. "We
are thrilled with this new corporate partnership," says CEO, Peter
Szutu. "These kinds of collaborations help everyone and the seniors we
serve feel remembered and supported by the community." It's
a win-win situation for everyone, especially the seniors. The donation
will be used for activities at the center where Mr. Lee toured. "We plan
to take some of our participants on a field trip to the Asian Art
Museum" says Angelique Ogden, Activities Director. "The seniors we
serve don't drive, and many are in wheelchairs or use walkers. They
couldn't go to a museum like this without the assistance and
transportation that our staff provides." Eight months ago, Center Bank purchased Innovative Bank and began providing banking services to the Bay Area. Center
Bank is a community bank offering a full range of financial services
for diverse ethnic and small business customers. Founded in 1986 and
specializing in commercial and SBA loans and trade finance products,
Center Bank has grown to be one of the nation's leading financial
institutions focusing on the Korean-American community, with total
assets of $2.28 billion at June 30, 2010. Headquartered in Los Angeles,
Center Bank operates a total of 22 full-service branches and two loan
production offices. The company has 16 full-service branches located
throughout Southern California and three branches in Northern
California. Center Bank also operates two branches and one loan
production office in the Seattle area, one branch in Chicago and a loan
production office in Denver. Center Bank is a California state-chartered
institution and its deposits are insured by the FDIC to the extent
provided by law. Center Bank seeks to establish itself as a source for
financial resources and education to the communities it serves. For
over 18 years, Center for Elders' Independence has provided
comprehensive health care and social services that enable people age 55+
with multiple medical problems to remain living independently in their
own homes rather than enter nursing home facilities. They are providers
of the PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) model of
healthcare, a national long term care model that is a permanent Medicare
benefit. There are three CEI PACE centers in Oakland and one in
Berkeley serving frail seniors from El Sobrante and Richmond to Hayward.
For information about CEI's PACE program, call (510) 433-1150 or visit www.cei.elders.org. |