New York, NY – October 2, 2012 – Thousands of New Yorkers crossed the finish line at Manhattan’s Riverside Park on Saturday during the 8th annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City RBC Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play.

The highly-anticipated 4k (2.5 mile) run/walk was created to raise awareness of the power of mentoring, as well as funding critical to the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City (BBBS of NYC). Once participants crossed the finish line, the day continued with a picnic, encouraging active lifestyles for adults and children through post-race activities provided by race sponsor Nickelodeon and its partners the USTA and NFL Play 60.

BBBS of NYC has set a fundraising goal of $1 million for this year’s RBC Race for the Kids – part of the Nickelodeon Worldwide Day of Play, which will help provide one-to-one mentoring relationships for young people throughout the five boroughs who need caring adult role models in their lives. The cost of supporting each Big-Little match for one year is $2,000, and to date, the Race has raised over $4 million for the organization.

“The Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC RBC Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play is a tremendous event that touches thousands of lives by making the gift of mentoring possible for our city’s most vulnerable young people,” said Jon May, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City trustee and chairman of the 2012 RBC Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play. “The strength of the New Yorkers who run this race is a reflection of the power of mentoring and we are in awe of their inspiring generosity, which is the lifeblood of this organization. We owe a particular debt of gratitude to our partners RBC and Nickelodeon, whose dedication to BBBS of NYC has taken RBC Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play to heights we never imagined.”

“Supporting and contributing positively to the communities where our employees live and work is a significant part of our corporate culture,” said Mark Standish, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City trustee and President and Co-CEO of RBC Capital Markets. “As we continue to grow our presence in the New York banking community, it has been inspiring to watch Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City bring the gift of mentoring to more young people in need each year.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is the nation’s oldest and New York City’s largest youth mentoring program, serving more than 3,500 young people throughout the five boroughs each year through one-to-one mentoring relationships.

“The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is to ensure that every young person in this city has a caring adult role model to help shape their lives the same way ours have been shaped by our own mentors,” said Hector Batista, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. “We are grateful for the support that allows us to serve more than 3,500 young people each year, and we know that RBC Race for the Kids – part of the Nickelodeon Worldwide Day of Play will help us grow that number further.”

Now in its ninth year, Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play is part of the network’s The Big Help health and wellness initiative, which encourages kids and families to live healthier lifestyles. Nickelodeon will go off-air and offline across all of its channels and websites on Worldwide Day of Play (Oct. 6) from 12 to 3 p.m. as a signal to kids and families to get up and get active. On October 6, kids in every state across the U.S. and worldwide are expected to participate in Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play at the more than 4,000 expected local events.

“Nickelodeon and Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC share a common goal of enriching the lives of kids, and The Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC RBC Race for the Kids is a perfect opportunity to work together on an event that encourages kids to lead active and healthy lives,” said Marva Smalls, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City trustee and executive vice president of public affairs and chief of staff, Nickelodeon Group.

Sponsors
In addition to RBC and Nickelodeon, the 8th annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City RBC Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play is proud to announce the following sponsors:

Verizon, Fox 5, Whole Foods, Crunch, NFL Play 60, USTA, The Daily News, Captivate Networks, ClearChannel, Emmis, WCBS-FM, WBLS-FM, Narin’s, GoGo Squeeze, Zico and BODYARMOR.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC
Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC (BBBS of NYC), the nation’s oldest and NYC’s largest youth mentoring organization, has served the changing needs of New York City’s most at-risk youth since 1904. The volunteer- and donor-based organization offers a variety of specialized mentoring programs to help children facing more complex challenges – including immigrant youth, teen mothers and children of incarcerated parents – as well as the Workplace Mentoring Program, which helps businesses throughout New York City positively impact the lives of young people and build a foundation for professional success. Additionally, since 1992 BBBS of NYC has worked through its Center for Training and Professional Development to equip non-profit professionals throughout New York City to develop and enhance their own mentor-based programs and organizations.

Through the support of individuals, foundations and corporations, this not-for-profit agency has been able to change the lives of the city’s most disadvantaged children, matching them with caring adult role models – dependable friends who can help to expand their horizons, realize their potential and enrich their futures. To learn more, become a mentor and/or offer support, please visit www.bigsnyc.org.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada’s largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and are among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and investor services on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 51 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 33rdyear, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 17 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).