[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          NATIONAL SERVICE AND CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, as the 103d Congress comes to a close, I 
would like to stress once again the importance of this session's 
national service legislation. As one who has been a longtime advocate 
of national service, I am pleased, indeed, that Congress has finally 
authorized a large-scale program of service which includes an 
educational reward. Citizens who participate in national service 
programs often accomplish immeasurable good for the people and 
neighborhoods they serve, as well as gain a better understanding of 
their connection to the community at large, the benefits of which can 
be reaped for years to come. After many years of discussion, I am 
excited to see that there is now a great deal of national attention 
focused on the community service concept.
  I would like to highlight one particular example of this new 
commitment to service from my State of Rhode Island. Citizens Financial 
Group, based in Providence, began a program last year called the 
Citizens Corporate Service Sabbatical. Each year two full-time 
employees will take 3-month paid leaves of absence to perform direct, 
hands-on community service. Since the company considers the opportunity 
to serve an honor, the sabbaticals will be highly competitive, thus 
assuring dedicated volunteers. The program is also structured so that 
employees will not have to make any career sacrifices in order to 
perform community service. They will be guaranteed the same salary and 
level of responsibility upon their return.
  This program, to my mind, is a wonderful example of how the private 
sector should view service, and how businesses can encourage and 
accommodate their employees' participation in service programs. I 
commend Citizens Financial Group for their effort in this regard and I 
would ask that a description of the Citizens Corporate Service 
Sabbatical program immediately follow my remarks in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                 Citizens Corporate Service Sabbatical


                              description

       The Citizens Corporate Service Sabbatical is a three-month 
     paid leave available to qualified employees who apply to 
     perform community service. The company seeks to reward 
     eligible employees and the opportunity to provide direct, 
     hands-on community service with opportunities for client 
     contact at places such as AIDS hospices, shelters for 
     battered and abused women, homeless shelters, food banks/
     kitchens, housing rehabilitation agencies, youth counseling 
     centers, and the like.
       What the Sabbatical IS NOT is traditional corporate 
     volunteerism that emphasizes board membership, planning, 
     development, and fund raising, although each is valued and 
     important and Citizens will continue to encourage and support 
     those kinds of activities by our employees.
       Two sabbaticals will be granted annually and they will be 
     available to employees of Citizens Financial Group, Citizens 
     Bank of Rhode Island, Citizens Bank of Connecticut, Citizens 
     Bank of Massachusetts, and Citizens Mortgage Corporation. 
     Since Citizens considers the opportunity to perform community 
     service an honor, the sabbaticals will be highly competitive. 
     To ensure that the sabbatical does not cause a professional 
     or career sacrifice to employees, those employees selected 
     for the Corporate Service Sabbatical are guaranteed their 
     same salary and level of responsibility upon completion of 
     the sabbatical.


                              eligibility

       The sabbatical is available to any full time employee of 
     Citizens Financial Group or its subsidiaries who has at least 
     five years of service.


                                applying

       To apply for a Citizens Corporate Service Sabbatical, 
     qualified employees must submit a one-page essay describing 
     the kind of service they would provide to the community, 
     their view of what they might accomplish and what their 
     service would mean to Citizens, where they would provide 
     their service, and why they want to devote three months of 
     the year to community service. Applicants should NOT seek out 
     agencies here they would perform their service, but instead 
     describe the kind of service they wish to perform.


                               selection

       A selection panel with representation from the holding 
     company, the banks and the mortgage company will be formed to 
     review all applications. The panel will be comprised of the 
     Director of Corporate Affairs (chairman), President of CBRI, 
     President of CBM, President of CMC, Corporate Director of 
     Community Relations, a VP of Human Resources (Ellen Sheil), 
     and the heads of Retail Banking and Corporate Banking in 
     Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
       The panel will forward the names of three finalists to the 
     chairman of Citizens Financial Group, who will interview each 
     finalist before choosing the recipient of the sabbatical.


                        sabbatical requirements

       Employees awarded sabbaticals will be assigned a community 
     service program that fits the goals of their application. 
     Employees are required to work a standard full time schedule 
     at their community service appointment and be supervised 
     regularly by agency personnel. At the conclusion of their 
     sabbatical, employees will be asked to critique their 
     specific service opportunity. Agency directors, in turn, will 
     be asked to provide Citizens with a review of the Citizens 
     employee's contribution to their program.


                     post-sabbatical requirements.

       On returning to Citizens after completion of their 
     sabbaticals, employees will be asked to serve for one year as 
     members of the internal Corporate Contribution/Sponsorship 
     Committee in their state. The committees include the CFG 
     chairman and CEO, respective bank presidents, and the 
     directors of Corporate Affairs, Community Relations, and the 
     Public Relations.

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