News Releases

Donald Driver Announces Innovative Inaugural Awards Program with BMO Harris Bank
Driven to Achieve Awards Presented by BMO Harris Bank to Recognize Outstanding Acts of Public Service

Milwaukee, WI – (April 23, 2013) – Green Bay Packers' all-time leading wide receiver, "Dancing with the Stars" champion and 2013 AMVETS Humanitarian of the Year Donald Driver today announced, in partnership with BMO Harris Bank, a new annual awards program, the "Donald Driver's Driven to Achieve Awards Presented by BMO Harris Bank," at a press conference earlier today in Milwaukee.

Regarded as one of the most charitable athletes of his generation for the work he has done through the Donald Driver Foundation and the hundreds of community appearances he made throughout his 14 year NFL career, Donald Driver created the "Driven to Achieve Awards" to recognize others making significant contributions to their communities. The "Driven to Achieve Awards presented by BMO Harris Bank" will recognize eight individuals each year, with a minimum of five winners coming from the state of Wisconsin, which embody leadership, possess a dedication to excellence and have displayed persistence and tenacity in reaching their organization's goals. Detailed award criteria and nomination forms can be found at the Donald Driver Foundation website, www.donalddriverfoundation.com.

BMO Harris Bank is providing close to $400,000 over a three year period in support of the Donald Driver Foundation which is doing tremendous work in supporting homeless families and educational initiatives designed to help break the cycle of poverty.

"Too often, we as a society focus on the bad things that are happening," Driver said. "This program is about turning the spotlight around and shining it on the people that work hard every day to make this world a better place."

"We know that ending the cycle of poverty is a very complex and multi-faceted issue in our community, but we also know there are multitudes of organizations and individuals making a difference each and every day," said Brad Chapin, Executive Vice President, BMO Harris Bank. "The Donald Driver Foundation is making its mark in helping families transition from dependency to independence, which is why we wanted to lend our support to such a worthwhile initiative. "

In addition to BMO Harris Bank, other businesses supporting the program include MillerCoors and Jockey.

"It's been my dream to honor everyday people doing extraordinary things and I'd like to thank BMO Harris Bank, along with MillerCoors and Jockey, for helping me to make that dream a reality," Driver added. "From day one, it was clear to me that they shared my passion for giving back to the community and I'm proud to call them my partners in this program."

The Driven to Achieve Awards are open to all legal residents of the United States of America who can demonstrate they delivered a clear benefit to their community through volunteerism, mentoring, fundraising or any other not-for-profit means. Award winners will embody leadership, possess a dedication to excellence and will have displayed persistence and tenacity in reaching their organization's goals.

Each year, the Driven to Achieve Awards will be presented at a formal ceremony in Mi lwaukee, WI with the first awards ceremony taking place in Spring, 2014

A total of eight Driven to Achieve Awards will be chosen from the following categories:

• 2 National Award Winners
• 5 Wisconsin Award Winners
• 1 People's Choice Award

About the Donald Driver Foundation
Founded in 2001 by Donald and Betina Driver, the Donald Driver Foundation serves as a hand up, not a hand out, for underprivileged children and families. With core focuses in education, homelessness, career development and health & wellness, the work of the Donald Driver Foundation touches thousands of lives each year. For more information, visit http://www.donalddriverfoundation.com/.

About BMO Harris Bank
BMO Harris Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through over 600 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona and Florida.  BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S.  For more information about BMO Harris Bank, go to the company fact sheet.  Deposit and loan products and services provided by BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris BankSM is a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with approximately 1,600 branches, and $542 billion in assets (as of Jan. 31, 2013).