December 12, 2002

Virtual Tour of 2003 Kennedy Center Calendar Supplements Live Tour At People's Bank Branches

BRIDGEPORT, CONN.
People's Bank will offer an electronic twist this year to the annual tour of The Kennedy Center calendar at its branches. A virtual tour, showing the artwork and pictures of the artists with their names, will be available this year on the bank's award-winning Web site at www.peoples.com, under the "What's New" section, during the dates of the statewide tour: Dec. 2, 2002 - Feb 10, 2003.

The Kennedy Center, one of the most comprehensive rehabilitation facilities in Connecticut, provides a wide variety of services for those with mental retardation, psychiatric disabilities, acquired brain injury, deafness, work-related injuries and learning, physical and developmental disabilities.

People's has sponsored the calendar - illustrated by artists from among The Kennedy Center's clients - for the past 15 years and traditionally has sent the artists' original works to its branches around the state for customers to enjoy. The exhibit of this year's "A Unique Perspective" calendar paintings was shown at People's Bank Bridgeport headquarters from Nov. 15 - Dec. 1. On Dec. 2, the show moved to the Belden Avenue branch, Norwalk, and will be there through Dec. 15. It will move to the People's Financial Center™ in Trumbull on Dec. 16 and will remain there through Dec. 29. The exhibit will show from Dec. 20 to Jan. 12 at the People's Financial Center™ in Avon;from Jan. 13 to 27 at the People's Financial Center™ in Norwichtown;and will end its run by showing from Jan. 27 to Feb. 10 at the Milford branch.

"We want to offer all the communities in Connecticut the opportunity to appreciate the talents - and unique perspectives - of these talented Kennedy Center artists," said Barbara Johnson, senior vice president, Corporate Community Relations at People's. "If they are unable to visit one of the five People's branches that are featuring the artwork, we invite them to join us on our Web site to view these remarkable paintings."

For more information about the paintings, or to purchase a painting, contact Lois Gerety at The Kennedy Center, (203) 332-4535.

The Kennedy Center was founded in 1951 and has been a driving force in providing advocacy and service to persons with disabilities since its inception. The Kennedy Center recently received a second consecutive perfect rating by the national standards setting organization CARF, the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. As a result, The Kennedy Center now ranks in the top 1 percent of such rehabilitation facilities in the country and is the only such agency in Connecticut to ever have received a perfect rating.

People's (peoples.com) is a diversified financial services company providing commercial, consumer, insurance and investment services. Founded in 1842, it is the largest state-chartered bank in Connecticut with managed assets of $13 billion, 155 branches and 230 ATMs. People's is a leader in commercial banking, residential lending, life insurance sales, supermarket banking and ranks 16th nationally as an issuer of MasterCard and Visa credit cards. People's subsidiaries offer brokerage services, asset management, equipment financing and leasing, and insurance services.