MUFG and the Student Conservation Association Join Forces to Strengthen Local Environments in Eight U.S. Cities

LOS ANGELES, March 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (MUFG) today announced the initial results of its partnership with The Student Conservation Association (SCA). In the last five months alone, the two organizations have improved the environmental resiliency of eight cities and produced the following outcomes:

• Two tons of trash removed from local waterfronts in eight cities
• Four hundred bird rescue kits created in Chicago
• More than 1,600 native trees, shrubs, and bulbs planted

The ongoing collaboration between SCA and MUFG is making a positive impact in the communities MUFG and Union Bank serve.

SCA and MUFG joined forces last November to coincide with "MUFG Gives Back" volunteer month. Since then, SCA youth and alumni, MUFG employees, and local residents – nearly 500 volunteers in all – have improved beloved parks, strengthened wildlife habitats, and forged more resilient communities in eight cities nationwide.

"In just two hours, volunteers transformed the park," said Ben Shupp, an official with New York City Parks. "What they accomplished in one morning would have taken our staff weeks to complete."

Los Angeles volunteer organizer Chris Fabbro added, "This level of support — the tools, the food, everything we need — is something you don't get very often. It motivates people to come back when they see that companies care and provides a platform for community groups to work together."

SCA/MUFG stewardship projects spanned the country:

• Atlanta: partnered with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to refurbish a key bridge and drainage channel, mitigating storm water impacts along the Chattahoochee and local trails
• Chicago: teamed with the Morton Arboretum and Chicago Bird Collision Monitors to build nesting boxes and rescue kits to aid migratory bird species
• Los Angeles: constructed a new trail winding through woodland, grassland, and sage scrub at the Audubon Center at Debs Park
• New York City: renewed Morningside Park gardens in Harlem with hundreds of new plantings
• Oakland: restored historic City Stables, home of therapeutic riding programs for area youth
• Phoenix: preserved native habitat for iconic saguaro cacti and created wildflower seed balls to support pollinator species
• Seattle: planted 400 trees and native shrubs at Maple Wood Playfield as part of citywide Green Seattle Day
• Tampa: aided multiple city parks and beachfront habitats with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful

The MUFG Union Bank Foundation also donated $150,000 to support SCA green job training programs for America's youth.

"Our employees are excited to partner with SCA to mentor young people on leadership skills and volunteer with them in many of the cities we call home. We are also proud to be part of the efforts to advance SCA's mission of developing conservation leaders and mobilizing more than 10,000 community volunteers annually," said Julius Robinson, the bank's Head of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Additional joint volunteer projects will be scheduled throughout the year.

The MUFG Union Bank Foundation ("The Foundation") is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that serves as an agent for charitable contributions made by MUFG Union Bank, N.A. Since its creation in 1953, The Foundation has supported the bank's commitment to help meet the needs of the communities that it serves. Its mission is to make philanthropic investments that expand access to economic opportunity in low- and moderate-income communities especially in the areas of affordable housing, community economic development, education, human services, and the environment.

About MUFG Union Bank, N.A.
As of December 31, 2017, MUFG Union Bank, N.A. operated 361 branches, comprised primarily of retail banking branches in the West Coast states, along with commercial branches in Texas, Illinois, New York and Georgia, as well as 19 PurePoint Financial Centers and one international office.  We provide a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial and retail banking and wealth management solutions to meet the needs of customers.  We also offer an extensive portfolio of value-added solutions for customers, including investment banking, personal and corporate trust, global custody, transaction banking, capital markets, and other services.  With assets of $118.5 billion, as of December 31, 2017, MUFG Union Bank has strong capital reserves, credit ratings and capital ratios relative to peer banks.  MUFG Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE: MTU), one of the world's largest financial organizations with total assets of approximately ¥312.5 trillion (JPY) or $2.8 trillion (USD)¹, as of December 31, 2017. The corporate headquarters (principal executive office) for MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation, which is the financial holding company, and MUFG Union Bank, is in New York City. The main banking office of MUFG Union Bank is in San Francisco, California.
¹ Exchange rate of 1 USD=¥113.0 (JPY) as of December 29, 2017

About the Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is America's largest and most effective youth conservation service organization. SCA conserves lands and transforms lives by empowering young people of all backgrounds to plan, act, and lead, while they protect and restore our natural and cultural resources. Founded in 1957, SCA's mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders, and 70% of its 85,000 alumni are employed or studying in conservation-related fields. For more, visit www.thesca.org.

©2018 Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The MUFG logo and name is a service mark of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., and is used by MUFG Union Bank, N.A., with permission. Member FDIC.

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SOURCE MUFG Union Bank, N.A.