Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008 (Eustis, FL) - Effective January 1, 2009, J.Patterson Cooper, President and CEO of the First Bank of the Palm Beaches,will assume the responsibilities of Chairman of the Board of Camp BoggyCreek, Florida's Hole In The Wall Camp for seriously ill children.

Cooper has served on the Camp's Board for ten years, is a member of theExecutive Committee and chairs the Finance Committee. He succeeds retiredU.S. Army Lt. General James R. Ellis of Tampa who has served as Chairmansince 2001 and will step down at the end of the year.

Referencing his replacement, General Ellis said that "Pat Cooper has been anintegral part of our leadership team for years and is the right person toguide our Camp through its next expansion." General Ellis will continue toserve on the Camp's Board of Directors focusing efforts on the recentlylaunched Schwarzkopf Society, Camp Boggy Creek's annual giving recognitioninitiative.

Upon accepting the Chairmanship, Cooper commented that "This amazing Camp isvery close to my heart. What we do for children and families dealing withchronic and life threatening illnesses is important work and I rededicatemyself to improving the lives of each person who comes to Camp Boggy Creek."Pat Cooper is a career banker with extensive experience in internationalfinance, private banking, corporate banking, governmental regulation andasset management.

Camp Boggy Creek was founded in Florida by Paul Newman and General H. NormanSchwarzkopf. It is a $23 million residential medical camp facility locatedin Lake County, FL and has served over 40,000 children and their familymembers from throughout Florida. There is no cost to attend either its weeklong summer sessions or its family retreat weekends. For more informationor to refer a camper, visit www.BoggyCreek.orgor call toll free 866-Go-Boggy ext. 252.