ADVISORY/Volunteer Banker-Teachers Instruct Inner-City Kids On the ABCs of Managing Money During Operation HOPE's ``Banking on Our Future Across America''.

City Desks/Assignment Editors

ADVISORY...for Thursday (Nov. 7)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Chicago Public School is Part of Nationwide Campaign Designed to

Reach 100,000 Students and Give Young People the Skills They

Need to Manage Their Financial Futures 

What:       Operation HOPE, Inc., a national non-profit self-help
            organization and a leading provider of economic
            empowerment tools and services for the under-served in
            America, brings its "Banking on Our Future Across America"
            campaign to Chicago. The event in Chicago will feature
            Michael Moskow, President of the Federal Reserve Bank;
            U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin; and bank senior executives
            conducting face-to-face classroom training sessions for
            sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.

Background: Established in 1996, Banking on Our Future (BOOF) is the
            classroom curriculum that teaches children the basics of
            economic literacy and provides them with the life skills
            they need to manage their financial futures and survive in
            a global economy.  As a result of a $100,000 grant from
            Oprah Winfrey's "Oprah's Angel Network," the Chicago
            chapter of BOOF was launched in 2001. The month-long
            series of nationwide events will reach over 15,000
            students and bring the total number of children who have
            received the BOOF curriculum to more than 100,000. Using a
            growing network of trained volunteer Banker-Teachers, BOOF
            teaches youth four core modules: the basics of banking,
            how to open and maintain a checking and savings account,
            the importance of credit and the power of investments. The
            curriculum is also available to families and teachers
            nationwide at www.bankingonourfuture.org.

Who:        Photo or interview opportunities include:

            -- 225 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students at an
               auditorium style classroom session and in smaller
               classroom sessions
            -- John Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE
            -- Michael Moskow, President of the Federal Reserve Bank
               of Chicago
            -- Rosario Marin, U.S. Treasurer
            -- David Pittman, Executive Vice President, Wells Fargo
               Bank

Where:      Nobel Elementary School
            4127 W. Hirsch Street (near North and Pulaski Avenues);
            Chicago

When:       Thursday, November 7, 2002

            8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.  Auditorium session in which 225
                                   students are taught the "Basics of
                                   Banking"; Welcome and instruction
                                   by Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman
                                   and CEO John Bryant, Federal
                                   Reserve Bank President Michael
                                   Moskow, and U.S. Treasurer Rosario
                                   Marin

            9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Classroom sessions during which
                                   volunteer Banker-Teachers instruct
                                   students in "The Basics of Banking"

                                   Other guests participating in the
                                   day's events include Bob Nash, Vice
                                   Chairman, Shorebank; Scott
                                   Polakoff, Regional Director, FDIC;
                                   and William Darr, Commissioner,
                                   Office of Banks and Real Estate,
                                   State of Illinois