Wells Fargo gifts corporate funds to support childhood literacy in the Midlands
May 15, 2018
Wells Fargo presented United Way of the Midlands with a corporate gift of $75,000 to support local early childhood literacy efforts.
“When companies like Wells Fargo invest in our children, the possibilities are endless and allow us the opportunity to create long-term change in our community,” said Sara Fawcett, President and CEO of United Way. “We’re providing books, teaching support and training to schools through our Midlands Reading Consortium, and Wells Fargo’s partnership and financial investment in education will make a positive impact on our community. We are very grateful for their partnership to further our mission to improve the lives of every person in the Midlands.”
One example of United Way’s investments in literacy is the Midlands Reading Consortium (MRC). MRC is a volunteer tutoring initiative aimed at improving language skills and reading proficiency for students in pre-kindergarten through third grade. Another example of the organization’s investment in education is through United Way’s Young Leaders Society’s Be a Book Bunny initiative. The group recently finished its inaugural Be a Book Bunny campaign where tote bags filled with age-appropriate books, school supplies and a fun toy were distributed to the 500+ children served by MRC to help build their personal libraries.
“Wells Fargo invests in organizations that promote academic achievement for students in need,” said Holt Chetwood, Wells Fargo Senior VP and Midlands Market President. “We are proud to support United Way of the Midlands and the work they do in early childhood education. When our communities succeed, so do we.”
Last year, MRC served over 500 students in Richland, Lexington and Newberry counties with the help of more than 300 volunteers. United Way focuses on education strategies that provide a firm foundation at an early age and continue to help develop our children into successful adults who can contribute to their communities.
Volunteer opportunities are still available for those interested in participating in MRC for the 2018-2019 school year. For more information, including a list of participating schools, visit volunteer.uway.org.
About United Way of the Midlands
United Way of the Midlands is the most organized, efficient and accountable system for investing in the community. With more than 70 Community Impact Partners, United Way works to identify and respond to the critical human service needs of Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg and Richland counties. Funds are raised through workplace campaigns, grant writing and individual donations. For more information, please visit www.uway.org.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,200 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 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2017 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.
