CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) announced today that the company will donate $250,000 to support Unite Charlotte, a new community fund established in response to the recent unrest in Charlotte. The fund will be housed at United Way of Central Carolinas and will support programs and organizations focused on community healing, rebuilding trust and creating opportunities, including work being done by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force. The task force has been in existence for two years and has been examining the barriers to upward mobility and job opportunities, as well as discrimination in Charlotte.
“We want to take what is a tragic situation and use this opportunity to have a different kind of dialogue, relying on what we’ve learned about institutional racism so that we can bring about true systemic change for our community,” said Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, co-chair of the Opportunity Task Force.
“Wells Fargo is committed to being part of the solution in responding to issues Charlotte is facing,” said Kendall Alley, Wells Fargo’s Regional President for Charlotte. “We want to join the United Way and show our support for Foundation For The Carolinas and the Opportunity Task Force during this challenging time.”
The fund will be administered through a partnership between Foundation For The Carolinas and United Way, and will have an advisory committee consisting of leaders from the faith, education, and business communities, as well as community-based organizations and donors.
“In the coming days we will work with our partners from the various local communities and organizations to invite them to join us in this effort,” said Sean Garrett, Executive Director of United Way of Central Carolinas.
“Our team members, customers and the local community have all been impacted by these events,” added Mary Mack, Head of Community Banking for Wells Fargo. “We hope this grant will play an important role in helping Charlotte heal and move forward in a purposeful, strategic and positive way.”
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 36 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 268,000 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. In 2015, Wells Fargo donated $281.3 million to 16,300 nonprofits, ranking No. 3 on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s rankings of the top corporate cash philanthropists. Wells Fargo team members volunteered 1.86 million hours in 2015, serving more than 40,000 nonprofits. Wells Fargo’s corporate social responsibility efforts are focused on three priorities: economic empowerment in underserved communities, environmental sustainability, and advancing diversity and social inclusion. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.
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