American River Bankshares Foundation Donates $55,000 to Local Non-Profits

SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 15, 2011) - The American River Bankshares (AMRB) Foundation (the "AMRB Foundation"), a vision of American River Bankshares (NASDAQ: AMRB), the Northern California-based holding company for American River Bank, today announced its 2011 grant recipients, awarding a total of $55,000 to seven local non-profit organizations serving Amador, Placer, Sacramento and Sonoma Counties. Since 2005, the AMRB Foundation has donated $425,000 to over 30 organizations in the communities it serves.

"We received proposals from a record fifty-seven worthwhile organizations this year, so we felt it important to focus on organizations where a grant would most directly benefit their mission," said David T. Taber, President of the AMRB Foundation. "The employees at American River Bankshares understand that we are an important part of the fabric of each community served. We feel strongly that the employees' volunteered time and the money we give back to these highly-effective organizations make a direct impact on our communities."

The AMRB Foundation's 2011 grant recipients are as follows:

• CASA Placer County in Placer County will receive $7,500 to support empowering foster youth, at-risk youth and young adults through their two projects, the CASA Placer and A2Y Mentors program. http://casaplacer.org/
  
  
• CASA Sacramento in Sacramento County will receive $7,500 to support program expenses for the recruitment, training, and ongoing supervision of CASA volunteers appointed to foster children. http://sacramentocasa.org/
  
  
• Legal Aid of Sonoma County in Sonoma County will receive $5,000 to fund the Child Abuse Prevention Project to prevent child abuse and neglect. http://legalaidsc.org/
  
  
• Courage to Be You in Sacramento County will receive $10,000 to provide a safe, loving environment, along with psychosocial and educational services for minors aged 11-17 who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. http://www.couragetobeyou.org/
  
  
• Hospice of Amador in Amador County will receive $5,000 to fund the operational expenses of the Grief Busters program. http://www.hospiceofamador.org/
  
  
• Drug Abuse Alternatives Center in Sonoma County will receive $10,000 to fund the purchasing of nutritious food to provide during the Perinatal Program. http://www.daacinfo.org/
  
  
• Shoulder to Shoulder in Sacramento County will receive $10,000 to help with the implementation of Freedom Academy at Grant High School in Del Paso Heights to help fatherless young men. http://teamsts.org/
  
  

The mission of the AMRB Foundation is to support organizations that create opportunity, enhance self-esteem and provide physical and emotional well-being for the most vulnerable women and children. Proposals are accepted to fund either the general operations of an organization's mission or a specific program relating to women and children. Each proposal is vetted by a volunteer employee committee, which then gives its funding recommendations to the Foundation's Board of Directors.

About the American River Bankshares Foundation
The American River Bankshares Foundation was established in July 2004 to fulfill the shared vision of American River Bank, Bank of Amador and North Coast Bank to give back meaningfully to local organizations based in the communities in which the three Banks do business. The Foundation receives 100% of its donations and is supported by the three Banks, their employees, friends and the Board of Directors of American River Bankshares. For more information on the Foundation, please call (916) 231-6717 or visit www.amrb.com.