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2005 Press Release

Contact:
Neil Cotiaux, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh: 412-288-2851
Theresa Kalanick, Berwick Middle School, 570-759-6400

GRAYSON JOHNSON WINS EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA ESSAY CONTEST: BERWICK MIDDLE STUDENT BESTS 101 'BLUEPRINT COMMUNITIES' ENTRIES

BERWICK, PA, December 15, 2005 — Grayson Johnson is celebrating his Grand Prize in the just-completed Blueprint Communities essay contest.

The Berwick Middle School sixth-grader bested submissions by 101 other students from seven communities across eastern Pennsylvania to take the top division honor in an essay contest sponsored by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank).

Berwick is one of 22 Pennsylvania communities chosen by the Bank to receive comprehensive training, technical assistance and funding opportunities for hometown revitalization. Gov. Ed Rendell officially kicked off the initiative at a ceremony at the State Capitol last August. Since then, a local team composed of community leaders has participated in workshops designed to help them develop a comprehensive, long-term community vision, specific revitalization plans including sources of funding, and a timeline for putting concrete plans for positive community change into action.

As part of the local introduction of Blueprint Communities, students in grades 6-8 were invited to take part in an essay contest that asked this question: "A 'blueprint' is a plan for the best way to build something — a car, a house, a career, a future. What would be your blueprint making your community a better place to live?"

A total of 245 entries of 500 words or less were received from 17 Blueprint Communities across the state. The essays were evaluated by an independent panel of one dozen graduate students in English at the University of Pittsburgh using the Pennsylvania Writing Assessment Domain Scoring Guide, which considers the writer's focus, content, organization, style and conventions such as grammar, spelling and usage.

Of all entries submitted by students in the Eastern Pennsylvania Division, Johnson's was judged the best. His essay may be read on the Berwick page of www.blueprintcommunities.com. A separate Grand Prize was awarded in the Western Pennsylvania Division.

Johnson received a $500 check and a handsome trophy from the FHLBank at the Eastern Pennsylvania Division's final training session, held December 13-14 at Willow Valley Resort near Lancaster. Johnson had been identified December 1 as one of 17 local winners, for which he received $100, a certificate of achievement from Gov. Rendell, a poster suitable for display at his school and a T-shirt proclaiming him the winner. Paul Reichart, chairman of the board of Columbia County Farmers National Bank and a member of the FHLBank board of directors, made the presentation to Johnson at the final workshop, where Johnson read his winning essay.

"The members of our local Blueprint Communities team are exceedingly proud of Grayson," said Reichart. "His winning entry displayed considerable thought, excellent use of language and strong community spirit, all of which propelled him to top division honors.

"Grayson's achievement is bound to be an inspiration to his fellow students and to the many other members of our community who are interested in making Berwick a better place to live and work," Reichart added.

"We're delighted at the tremendous participation by local students in our just-completed essay contest," stated John J. Bendel, director of Community Investment at the FHLBank. "Our hope is that programs like this will continue to build momentum for Blueprint Communities, involving young people and their families in support of the initiative and providing a strong foundation for the implementation of practical, achievable revitalization efforts by local leaders."

Pennsylvania's 22 Blueprint Communities are: Berwick, Callowhill (Reading), Hamburg, Kennett Square-East Linden, Lebanon–Northwest, Norris Square, Tamaqua and Tioga (eastern); and Aliquippa, Brownsville, Canonsburg, Carnegie, Connellsville, Etna, Hazelwood, Irwin, Larimer, McKeesport, New Kensington, Uniontown, Waynesburg and Wilkinsburg (western).

Funding partners for the Blueprint Communities initiative include Pennsylvania Rural LISC, PNC Bank, Sovereign Bank and the FHLBank of Pittsburgh.

Program partners include the Governor's Office of Housing and Community Revitalization, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Philadelphia Neighborhood Development Collaborative, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development, University of Pittsburgh–Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, U.S.D.A. Rural Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Heartland Center for Leadership Development.

The FHLBank of Pittsburgh, with assets of $76 billion, serves nearly 340 financial institution members in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is one of twelve FHLBanks, all private cooperatively owned banks that provide wholesale housing finance, community lending and correspondent banking services to member banks, savings and loan institutions, credit unions and insurance companies.

For additional information on Blueprint Communities, visit www.blueprintcommunities.com.