Star athletes and corporate employees climb to new heights of generosity -
$82,000 raised during 12th RBC Challenge for Centraide

MONTREAL , Nov. 25 /CNW Telbec/ - Sports personalities and 500 corporate employees teamed up at noon today in an Olympian display of support for the neediest. The occasion was the 12th annual RBC Challenge for Centraide, a relay race against the clock up the some 1,000 steps to the top of Place Ville-Marie, one of Montreal's tallest buildings. This event raised a record $82,000 for Centraide of Greater Montreal's 2009 campaign. That's about $16,730 more than last year.

A team of star athletes including archer Virginie Chénier, tennis player Stéphanie Dubois, water polo player Sandra Lizé, diver Marie-Ève Marleau and fencer Sandra Sassine, with Paralympic archer Lyne Tremblay serving as coach, pitted itself against some 50 teams of amateur sprinters.

This benefit sporting event was organized by RBC in cooperation with SITQ Immobilier. All the proceeds - derived from participants' registration fees and corporate sponsors - will be donated to Centraide, which is aiming to raise $54 million by December 15 in order to support the most vulnerable people in Greater Montreal .

Over the past 12 years, the RBC Challenge has raised more than $422,000 for Centraide's cause. Thanks to the fundraising activities and generous donations of its employees and to a large corporate gift, this year RBC will contribute over $1 million to help the neediest members of the community.

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, one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as measured by market capitalization. We provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 18 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada , the U.S. and 53 other countries. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com.

About Centraide

Centraide of Greater Montreal is an independent organization managed by a board of directors which is representative of the community. It serves the Island of Montreal , Laval, and communities on the South Shore. Centraide supports 360 agencies and projects that help half a million vulnerable people. It relies on a network of over 73,000 volunteers, 23,000 of whom work on its annual campaign. Centraide is supported by some 2,300 companies, institutions, and public and parapublic organizations as well as by the majority of the large trade unions.

Persons wishing to make a donation can call Centraide of Greater Montreal at 514 288-1261 or visit the "To make your donation" section of its website at www.centraide-mtl.org.

For further information: Annick Gagnon, Centraide of Greater Montreal, [phone], ext. 242; Raymond Chouinard, RBC, [phone]