June 10, 2005

HIBERNIA BANK BRINGS LITTLE FIRECRACKER CONTEST TO THIS YEAR’S RED, HOT & BLUE FESTIVAL
Ages 5-12 are Encouraged to Participate

Cutline: Town Center Improvement District and Hibernia Bank announce the Little Firecracker Essay Contest. From left: Jennifer Bourne, TCID Event Manager and Charlie Valdez, Assistant Vice President and Manager of Hibernia’s Research Forest branch in The Woodlands.

THE WOODLANDS, TX. (June 10, 2005) . . . What does America mean to you? That’s the question Hibernia Bank is asking youngsters this Fourth of July as part of the Little Firecracker Essay Contest.

Boys and girls ages 5-12 are encouraged to participate in the contest and are eligible for prizes including a $1,000 deposit in a college-fund account provided by Hibernia; a one-night stay at The Woodlands Resort’s Forest Oasis; and much more. Winners will be announced at this year’s Red, Hot & Blue Festival in Town Center on July Fourth.
“We are very excited about supporting this fun-filled, patriotic community event in The Woodlands Town Center,” said Charlie Valdez, Assistant Vice President and Manager of Hibernia’s Research Forest branch in The Woodlands. He added, “Hibernia Bank’s employees realize the importance of being involved in the community, and are committed to being so, long into the future.”

To enter, contestants must submit a 150-200 word essay about what America means to them. All entries must be handwritten in ink or typed and double-spaced with a title page including the child’s name, age, grade, mailing address and phone number. Entries also should show a guardian’s email address and signature verifying the child’s work and must be hand delivered to Hibernia Bank at 2404 Research Forest Drive (corner of Research Forest Drive and Hewitt Drive) by 6 pm Friday, June 24. Names should only appear on the cover page.

The South Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network will judge the contest based on originality, style, content, spelling, grammar and neatness. Age categories include 5-6, 7-9 and 10-12.

One Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from a drawing of all entries and will receive a $1,000 deposit into a 529 Plan (a college fund) at Hibernia Bank. The Grand Prize Winner also will receive a $100 gift certificate to Market Street, a $100 gift certificate to Toys-R-Us in The Woodlands Town Center and the opportunity to read their essay on stage at the Red, Hot & Blue Festival.
First-prize winners, which include one participant from each age category, will receive a $100 gift certificate to Market Street, a $50 gift certificate to Toys R Us in The Woodlands Town Center and the opportunity to read his or her essay at the Red, Hot & Blue Festival.

All winners and 50 honorable mention award-winners are invited to Hibernia’s Little Firecracker Kid/Parent VIP party tent at the Red, Hot & Blue Festival for awards, photos, refreshments and a free Little Firecracker Contest Winner T-shirt.
All participants will be entered into a drawing to win a one-night stay at The Woodlands Resort’s Forest Oasis.
Hibernia has $22.2 billion in assets and 318 locations in 35 Texas counties and 34 Louisiana parishes.

For more information on the Little Firecracker Essay Contest, visit the Red, Hot & Blue Festival website at www.redhotblue.org, or contact Town Center Improvement District at 281-363-2447.