Schwab Employees in Phoenix Mobilize for Week of Community Service

More Than 2,000 Schwab Employees Nationwide to Donate Thousands of Hours to
Nonprofits and Municipal Organizations
PHOENIX--(Business Wire)--
Charles Schwab`s Phoenix employees have begun participating in Schwab Employee
Volunteer Week in which 13community-focused nonprofit organizations in Phoenix,
Mesa and Tempe will receive hundreds of hours of hands-on service from
approximately 300 local Schwab employees. The companywide event, which in
previous years was confined to just one business day in May, will span a full
week this year. More than 2,000 Schwab employees and executives across the U.S.
have signed up to participate in a total of approximately 120 projects from
today through Friday, May 15, contributing an aggregate of over 9,000 work hours
for the benefit of some 110 nonprofit and municipal organizations.

In Phoenix, the nonprofits were selected by the employees themselves based on
the community service they provide. Over the course of the week, Schwab`s local
employees will perform the following volunteer activities:

* Assisting the Employment Services Department with a financial education
workshop, job interview training and career preparation at the Central Arizona
Shelter Services (CASS);
* Painting and landscaping homes on behalf of Homeward Bound;
* Assembling care packages with personal hygiene items for seniors at Valle del
Sol;
* Painting and cleaning a home in preparation of a new family moving in for Save
the Family Foundation of Arizona;
* Socializing animals and assisting with maintenance at Arizona Animal Welfare
League;
* Assisting with the donation and child care centers, as well as maintenance
tasks, at UMOM New Day Center;
* Providing landscaping maintenance at Ronald McDonald House;
* Working with the Horticultural Department to clean salt cedar and palm fronds
at the Phoenix Zoo;
* Creating tote bags filled with toys, books and blankets on behalf of Project
Night Night, intended to benefit local children in need;
* Assisting in financial literacy lessons at Junior Achievement Biz Town;
* Assembling marketing and fundraising packages and assisting with clerical
duties at Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona;
* Preparing and bagging sandwiches for the working poor, homeless, unemployed
and disenfranchised on behalf of Society of St. Vincent de Paul;
* Recording messages of support for members of the armed forces and helping with
administrative tasks for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic`s Tribute for
Troops program.

"Over the past five years, the numbers of participants in `Schwab Volunteer Day`
have steadily grown, but what we heard from employees was that the event should
be expanded to more cities, and that we should also try to accommodate more
employees` schedules," said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab
Foundation. "We took that feedback to heart, and this year`s Schwab Volunteer
Week was designed to give more Schwabbies around the country the opportunity to
participate in Schwab`s great legacy of community giving."

"We are advocates for our clients through all the ways in which we serve them,"
said Walt Bettinger, president and chief executive officer of The Charles Schwab
Corporation. "In a similar way, we strive to serve the communities we do
business in day to day. While our commitment to community service is ongoing,
Schwab Volunteer Week offers employees a special opportunity to team up with
their colleagues on a variety of projects that make an immediate impact right in
the communities where they live."

In addition to volunteering, employee teams may also apply for a Volunteer Team
grant of up to $1,000 from Charles Schwab Foundation to benefit the
organizations for which they`re providing hands-on, direct service.

Nationally, Schwab employees are volunteering at a diverse selection of
organizations including:

* Middle schools and high schools
* Animal welfare and rescue organizations
* A wide variety of organizations dedicated to providing health, social and
human services to seniors, children, women and families
* Municipal parks, shorelines, gardens and recreation areas
* Community food banks
* Centers devoted to music and the arts
* Youth organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Junior
Achievement
* Habitat for Humanity
* Salvation Army
* Ronald McDonald House Charities

About Charles Schwab

The Charles Schwab Corporation (Nasdaq:SCHW) is a leading provider of financial
services, with more than 300 offices and 7.5 million client brokerage accounts,
1.5 million corporate retirement plan participants, 508,000 banking accounts,
and $1.1 trillion in client assets. Through its operating subsidiaries, the
company provides a full range of securities brokerage, banking, money management
and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent
investment advisors. Its broker-dealer subsidiary, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
(member SIPC, www.sipc.org), and affiliates offer a complete range of investment
services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds;
financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity
compensation plan services; referrals to independent fee-based investment
advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent,
fee-based investment advisors through its Advisor Services division. The Charles
Schwab Bank (member FDIC) provides banking and mortgage services and products.
More information is available at www.schwab.com.

About Charles Schwab Foundation

Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization funded by The
Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to create positive change through
financial education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. More information is
available at www.aboutschwab.com/community. (0509-8997)

Charles Schwab
Sarah Bulgatz, 415-636-5940
sarah.bulgatz@schwab.com
or
CRT/tanaka Public Relations
Katie Peterson, 310-659-5380
kpeterson@crt-tanaka.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009