Delaware Valley Businesses Encouraging Employees to Contribute Funds, Volunteer Time To Hurricane Relief Effort, Survey Indicates

Lubetkin & Co. Communications, LLC
Communications, Public Relations & Technology Counsel708 Crestbrook Avenue
Cherry Hill, N.J. 08003
(856) 751-5491

(267) 295-1112 E-Fax

http://www.lubetkin.net

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Media May Contact:
Steven L. Lubetkin, Managing Partner
(856) 751-5491steve@lubetkin.net

Delaware Valley Businesses Encouraging Employees to Contribute Funds, Volunteer Time
To Hurricane Relief Effort, Survey Indicates

Companies Urging Employees to Contribute at a Greater Rate than They Are Giving

   CHERRY HILL, NJ October 11, 2005 -- Just under half of the Delaware Valley small businesses and nonprofit organizations participating in a recent survey are doing more to collect donations from their employees to help with Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief effortsthan they are contributing from company funds, but nearly all the respondents said they are digging deep into their own personal funds for the relief efforts.


   According to the online survey conducted by Lubetkin & Co. Communications, a Cherry Hill-based communications and public relations consultancy, 45.3 percent of the survey respondents said their companies or organizations were collecting funds from employees for the relief effort, but only 37.7 percent said those companies or organizations were contributing company funds.

   The results seem to suggest that the hurricane relief efforts are being driven forward primarily by individuals emotionally moved by the devastation, said Steven L. Lubetkin, managing partner of Lubetkin & Co. Its interesting that the companies responding to the survey are urging their employees to give money at a greater rate than the companies themselves are contributing.

   Nearly 92 percent of respondents said they were contributing their own money to the effort. About 49 percent of those whose companies are donating cash said their companies were donating $2,000 or more to the relief effort. About 42% said their firms donations were in the $500 range or below, and 20% indicated that some portion of their companies contributions came from a company foundation.

   Nearly 88 percent of the respondents said they personally were giving gifts of $500 or less. The other 12 percent said their personal gifts were between $500 and $1,500.

   Other relief activities that respondents said their companies were conducting:

· collecting goods for delivery to victims (22.6%)

· encouraging employees to volunteer with local relief groups (21.7%)

· encouraging volunteering with relief groups in the affected area (13.2%)

· helping victims find housing (10.4%)

· actually providing housing for victims (5.7%)

   Almost one-fifth of the individuals responding said that,in addition to donating their own money, they were collecting goods for delivery to victims, 14 percent said they were volunteering locally, and 10 percent said they were collecting money from other people for the effort. Only one survey respondentindicated actually volunteering in the hurricane zone.
More male respondents than female (21.3% vs. 15.2%) said they were collecting goods for hurricane victims, and were volunteering locally (18% male vs. 12.1% female).

   Lubetkin & Co. Communications is a diversified communications, public relations, and technology counseling firm. It provides strategic communications advice, survey research, Internet broadcasting (podcasting), corporate photojournalism, and customized publishing services for corporate clients, executives, and other organizations. Its website is www.lubetkin.net. Lubetkin is a veteran corporate communications executive for Bank of America, Fleet, Summit Bank, Standard & Poors, Unisys, and Conrail.

# # # #

Survey Methodology: The results are based on an online,email-invitation survey conducted using SurveyMonkey.com. Approximately 1,000 email invitations were distributed to individuals in the Lubetkin & Co. Communications email database in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and several Pennsylvania Counties, and a reminder was sent to those who did not respond after the first week. Responses were received from 106 individuals, a 10% response rate. While the survey results cannot be validated for statistical significance, they provide directional information about the behavior of individuals and organizations within the survey universe. More information on the survey is available from Lubetkin & Co.

THE EDCOMM GROUP ANNOUNCES FREE TELLER & COMPLIANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS TO BANKS STRICKEN BY HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

THE EDCOMM GROUP ANNOUNCES FREE TELLER & COMPLIANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS TO BANKS STRICKEN BY HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA (NEW YORK, NY) October 5, 2005

The Edcomm Group today announced a special program offering their award-winning Teller and Compliance eLearning training programs free-of-charge to any bank with headquarters or a significant branch presence in the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast area.

Achieving Teller Excellence is a comprehensive training program that teaches the knowledge, skills and attitude that make tellers successful. Using instructor-led, computer-based and role-play techniques, it introduces new tellers to the banking industry and provides them with both the skills and professionalism to perform their job well.

Focus on Compliance, a computer-based, distance-learning program, can be delivered via Internet, Intranet or CD-ROM. The program teaches banking compliance using easy-to-understand language in an interactive, self-paced format. Participants learn from their own perspective, with a curriculum customized to their position. Focus on Compliancecovers: Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC, Privacy, Reg P, Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, Right to Financial Privacy, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Reg CC & Check 21, Reg D, Reg E, Reg Z, Truth in Lending, FCRA, FACT Act, HMDA, CRA, and Bank Bribery, among others. The program also includes a quick reference guide to all banking regulations, as well as a glossary of terms and a library of reference materials.

According to Edcomm's President, Dr. Linda Eagle, "This is a unique opportunity for us to help by providing crucial services that will be needed as banks in this area rebuild and re-staff their operations.
Interested banks or financial institutions should call 1-888-4EDCOMM and tell the operator that they are calling in response to the Special Gulf Coast Offer."

The Edcomm Group has had the privilege of assisting many distinguished clients with business solutions in the form of classroom instruction, print publication, video production, online documentation, interactive web systems and multimedia programs. In addition to the development of customized programs, The Edcomm Group offers many industry specific off-the-shelf products that have proven themselves effective in organizations around the world. For more information about programs like these, or to find out how The Edcomm Group can customize any training program, log onto www.bankersacademy.com.

The Edcomm Group is an 18-year-old multimedia education and communication consulting firm specializing in the development of creative business solutions that improve productivity, customer service and market share providing bottom-line results. The Edcomm Group (www.edcomm.com), (www.bankersacademy.com) is headquartered in New York City with an Advanced Design Center located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.

For more information, please contact:

Steven L. Lubetkin, Lubetkin & Co. Communications, +1-856-751-5491 or steve@lubetkin.net
or

Linda Eagle, President, The Edcomm Group, +1-888-4EDCOMM. or linda.eagle@edcomm.com