Wells Fargo Donates $350,000 for Columbia-Area Revitalization Efforts
April 24 2017 - 11:30AM
Business Wire
Local NeighborhoodLIFT grants address economic
and workforce development, youth programs and neighborhood
beautification for Columbia
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) today announced a total of
$350,000 in donations for three local nonprofits intended to help
revitalize Columbia neighborhoods through the Wells Fargo
NeighborhoodLIFT® program.
The local grant recipients were identified in collaboration with
City of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin.
“The best part about these causes is that they impact all
generations,” said Mayor Benjamin. “From playgrounds, to job
training, to home repairs, these grants will foster economic
opportunity and make lives better for so many of our residents. I
salute Wells Fargo for their commitment to helping our
neighborhoods and families.”
The Wells Fargo Foundation is providing grants to the following
Columbia nonprofits:
- Columbia Urban League – $100,000
grant to support the Summer Work Experience Leadership Program
(SWELP), which enhances character and leadership skills for youths
ages 14-19 as it relates to employability and job training. SWELP
helps teens develop critical thinking techniques, teaches a sense
of responsibility, and encourages effective, appropriate
communication. It also helps to foster strong work ethic and
self-esteem. About 400 participants will work 20 hours per week
during the program.
- HomeWorks of America, Inc. –
$100,000 grant to serve low- and moderate-income homeowners with
home repairs that may otherwise be unattainable. HomeWorks will
rebuild at least six homes that were damaged in the October 2015
flood, provide safety and sanitation repairs to nearly 100 homes
across the state, and provide case management to homeowners in need
of meals, transportation and more. Repairs will continue throughout
the year, maintaining a continual flow of volunteers.
- Parks and Recreation Foundation
– $150,000 grant will be used for two projects:
- An educational initiative to provide
people in communities with high unemployment, lack of access to
nutritious food, and unfamiliarity with healthy cooking and eating
habits with resources and tools for dietary and lifestyle changes,
as well as job skills to help participants enter into the culinary
field. Programming will include certification for employment upon
completion, health and wellness workshops and afterschool sessions
focused on gardening and farm-to-table foods. It will also serve as
an incubator for entrepreneurs beginning a start-up business, and
small businesses requiring a commercial kitchen. Services will
benefit approximately 688 families, including adults, senior
citizens and children.
- A neighborhood beautification project
that includes construction of a new playground in the Fairwold
Acres/Harlem Heights neighborhood. The playground will have two
sections to foster creative play – an area for kids ages 5 to 12
and another for 2 to 5-year-olds. Upon completion, it will provide
a playground for the local elementary school, which does not
currently have one, and be a place where children can feel
safe.
The grants are funded through Wells Fargo’s NeighborhoodLIFT
program that was launched in July 2016 for Columbia-area homebuyers
with a $4.1 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost local
homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods. NeighborhoodLIFT
created more than 100 homeowners in Richland and Lexington counties
by offering homebuyer education plus matching down payment
assistance grants up to $7,500. About 250 down payment assistance
grants are still available and interested homebuyers may contact
NeighborWorks America’s local network member, Origin, or Wells
Fargo Home Mortgage in Columbia for information about eligibility
requirements.
The Wells Fargo NeighborhoodLIFT local initiative grants for
Columbia will provide support for economic and workforce
development, youth programs and neighborhood beautification.
“Wells Fargo cares about our communities, and we are making
these investments to continue the revitalization effort to
strengthen Columbia,” said Kathy Heffley, Wells Fargo region
president in South Carolina. “These nonprofits are actively leading
efforts to help create jobs, foster youth development and much
more. We believe these grants will add up to make a big
impact.”
About NeighborhoodLIFT
NeighborhoodLIFT® program is the single largest corporate
philanthropic effort of its kind in Wells Fargo’s history. In
collaboration with NeighborWorks America, the Wells Fargo LIFT
program has helped create more than 13,250 homeowners in 50
communities since 2012. A video about NeighborhoodLIFT programs is
posted on Wells Fargo Stories.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is a diversified,
community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in
assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells
Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and
consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,600 locations,
13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and
has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers
who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately
269,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in
the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 27 on
Fortune’s 2016 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells
Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and
help them succeed financially. News, insights and perspectives from
Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170424005026/en/
Wells Fargo & CompanyMediaAmy Amirault,
843-870-6385Amy.Amirault@wellsfargo.comChris Hammond,
415-222-4106chris.l.hammond@wellsfargo.com
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