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Ron Grzywinski in Afghanistan

(Washington, D.C., June 8, 2005) – Independent Sector will honor Ronald Grzywinski, chairman and CEO of ShoreBank Corporation, with the 2005 John W. Gardner Leadership Award, recognizing a career that has transformed underserved neighborhoods into vibrant communities and inspired a community development banking movement worldwide.

Mr. Grzywinski will be presented with the Gardner Award at the Independent Sector 25th Anniversary Conference in Washington, D.C. , which will be held from October 23 to October 25, 2005. The award of $10,000 includes a replica of an original relief bust of John Gardner by the late sculptor Frederick Hart.

John Gardner was the founding chairperson of Independent Sector. An author, advisor to six presidents, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, Mr. Gardner was an active and distinguished participant in America 's educational, philanthropic, and political life, and his many achievements stand as a tribute to the ideals this award celebrates.

Mr. Grzywinski and his colleagues began operating ShoreBank in 1973 after purchasing the South Shore National Bank on Chicago 's South Side to focus on the needs of urban communities and to serve residents who were excluded from traditional banking circles. By providing African Americans, low-income residents and inner-city businesses with access to financial resources and information unavailable anywhere else, ShoreBank helped spur the revitalization of Chicago 's disinvested South and West Side neighborhoods.

ShoreBank is America 's first and leading community development and environmental banking corporation. ShoreBank's reach has grown considerably. Headquartered in Chicago, ShoreBank Corporation has subsidiary banks in Cleveland and Ilwaco, Wash., along with affiliated nonprofits in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Ilwaco, Wash., and Portland, Ore ; business development services in Michigan 's Upper Peninsula; and consulting services around the world, providing a range of services from financial literacy and wealth building programs to job training, retention and placement programs. After reaching the $1 billion mark in cumulative lending in underserved communities across the nation in 2000, ShoreBank took only four years to cross the $2 billion mark. Also in 2004, ShoreBank more than doubled its conservation lending, reaching $159 million and increased new development lending by 26 percent from the previous year. Since its founding, ShoreBank has helped finance the purchase and renovation of more than 49,000 affordable housing residences.

As a consequence of his work, Mr. Grzywinski has been recognized as the inspiration for the Community Development Financial Institution industry, which has invested nearly $2 trillion in helping transform neglected urban and rural areas into strong and healthy communities. In 1977, despite opposition from the banking industry, Mr. Grzywinski was the only commercial banker to testify before Congress in support of the Community Reinvestment Act.

In the mid-1970s, Mr. Grzywinski served as an advisor to the founder of the Grameen Bank, the early and famous micro-credit institution in Bangladesh , which led to ShoreBank's commitment to international work. “ShoreBank shares Ronald Grzywinski's approaches and philosophies regarding micro-finance with everyone from world leaders at United Nations' World Forums to folks living in huts in Bangladesh – but always for the purpose of giving people a real chance for a brighter future,” said former President Bill Clinton, who while governor of Arkansas visited ShoreBank to learn more about its business model. Mr. Grzywinski worked with Mr. Clinton during both his governorship and presidency to expand the community banking model in Arkansas and nationally.

ShoreBank established ShoreBank Advisory Services in 1987, whose consultants have been working in more than 40 countries around the world. In 2003, ShoreBank sponsored the creation of an equity fund that invests in local banks in Asia, Africa, and the former Soviet Union . Similar to ShoreBank, these institutions finance small entrepreneurs in an effort to build strong and healthy economies.

“Through his innovative and creative leadership, Ronald Grzywinski has demonstrated that the goals of the private, public, and nonprofit sectors can be effectively advanced in partnership,” Diana Aviv , president and CEO of Independent Sector.  “Ron has shown that it is possible for a for-profit institution to operate in the interest of the public benefit, serving community and environmental goals while also satisfying investor and customer expectations.  ShoreBank's positive impact in underserved neighborhoods has transformed communities around the world.”

The John W. Gardner Leadership Award was established by Independent Sector in 1985 to honor outstanding Americans who exemplify the leadership and ideals of John Gardner. The Award pays tribute to a leader working in or with the voluntary sector who has built, mobilized, and unified people, institutions, or causes to raise the capacity of others to contribute to the common good. The award recognizes visionaries who have empowered constituencies, strengthened participation, and inspired movements.

The John W. Gardner Leadership Award is sponsored by The William Randolph Hearst Foundations.

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 600 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the charitable community.