Hancock Bank fund to help troops-in-training enjoy brighter Fourth

BATON ROUGE, LA (June 11, 2004) - In support of the "Operation Independence Day" initiative announced this week by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, Hancock Bank has established a benefit account to help give 3,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen training at Fort Hood, TX, a Fourth of July at home.

With a fundraising goal of approximately $175,000, "Operation Independence Day" seeks to finance round-trip bus transportation between Fort Hood, TX, and Baton Rouge for the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Infantry Brigade during the infantry's July 1 - 8 block leave. The 256th Brigade was recently activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"By making a donation or sponsoring a bus, you are helping give our soldiers . . . some quality time at home with their families before deploying," said Maj. Gen. Landreneau in a statement urging businesses and citizens to endorse the project.

The estimated cost of each soldier's bus ticket is $58.

Checks should be payable to "Operation Independence Day." Contributors can donate to Operation Independence Day by visiting any Hancock Bank office during regular business hours or Clear Channel Radio live remote broadcasts from Hancock Bank branches at One American Place (Monday, June 14, 9:00-11:00 a.m., featuring on-air personality Clarence Buggs); Sherwood Forest Boulevard (Tuesday, June 15, 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. featuring on-air personalities Bill Profita and Matt Kennedy); Bluebonnet Boulevard (Thursday, June 17, 3:00 - 5:30 p.m., featuring Bill Profita and Matt Kennedy); and Hancock Bank Centre at CitiPlace (9:00 - 11:00 a.m., featuring Clarence Buggs).

Exclusively during each broadcast, visitors to the host location can register to win a Red, White, & Blue Barbeque Package - including a gas grill - valued at $500.

Additional information about Operation Independence Day is available on links at www.hancockbank.com, www.gov.la.gov; Clear Channel sites WJBO, WYNK, 96.1, WFMF, Talk Radio 1380, and The Score 1210; or from the Louisiana National Guard Office of Family Programs at 1-866-647-3618.

Founded in 1899, Hancock Bank consistently ranks as one of America's strongest, safest financial institutions and operates 102 offices and more than 140 automated teller machines in South Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle.

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