Donation supports work by the Canadian Women's Foundation to help women
    and girls achieve their full potential

    TORONTO, March 5 /CNW/ - On International Women's Day, CIBC (CM:TSX;NYSE)
is committing $1 million towards the training and support offered by the
Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF) to help low-income women become economically
self-sufficient and break the cycle of violence against women. CIBC's
commitment will also support the CWF's $10 million "Changing Lives for Good"
endowment fund, a permanent resource for positive change in the lives of women
and girls.
    "As a long-time supporter of the Canadian Women's Foundation, we have
already seen CIBC's unwavering commitment to helping women achieve their full
potential," said Beverley Wybrow, President and CEO of CWF. "With this
$1 million commitment, CIBC has created a legacy that will be felt by women,
girls and whole communities, far into the future."
    "CIBC is dedicated to fostering strong, healthy communities," said Sonia
Baxendale, Senior Executive Vice-President, Retail Markets at CIBC. "More than
two thirds of our employees are women and we are proud to continue our
partnership with the Canadian Women's Foundation and the important work it
does. By supporting the potential of women, we are working to make our
communities stronger, safer and more prosperous.""Changing Lives for Good", the Foundation's endowment fund, will:
    -   Establish a permanent base of income to sustain the Canadian Women's
        Foundation as a primary national resource for women and girls,
        ensuring its longevity, stability and flexibility;

    -   Catapult the Foundation's ability to fund more groundbreaking
        initiatives (currently we can only fund 10% of worthy grant
        applications) and expand the impact of our work for generations to
        come; and

    -   Enable long-term systemic change through research and sharing of the
        best approaches to breaking the cycle of violence, moving low-income
        women out of poverty and instilling confidence and resiliency in our
        girls.CIBC is committed to supporting causes that matter to our clients, our
employees and our communities. We aim to make a difference in communities
through corporate donations, sponsorships and the volunteer spirit of
employees. With a strategic focus on youth, education and health, and employee
commitment to causes including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run
for the Cure, United Way and the CIBC World Markets Children's Miracle
Foundation, we are investing in the social and economic development of
communities across the country. In 2007, CIBC group of companies contributed
more than $36 million worldwide to charitable organizations and community
initiatives. Of this, $27 million was invested in Canada to support national,
regional and local organizations. To learn more, visit www.cibc.com/pas.

    About the Canadian Women's Foundation

    The Canadian Women's Foundation is Canada's only national public
foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. CWF
researches, shares and funds the most promising approaches to ending violence
against women, lifting low-income women out of poverty, and building strong,
resilient girls. Learn more at www.canadianwomen.org.