Habitat for Humanity and Wells Fargo Team Up for Southwood Market Day
Wells Fargo Provides Grant Funding to Habitat for Neighborhood Revitalization
Wells Fargo has awarded Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville a grant of more than $22,000 to help improve quality of life in the Southwood Mobile Home Park through neighborhood revitalization projects.
On Saturday, June 16th, ten local Wells Fargo employee volunteers will lend a hand at the Southwood Market Day, a family-friendly community health and wellness fair hosted by Habitat and Southwood residents. Local community organizations will attend to provide services and information, Southwood residents will sell homemade food and crafts, and neighborhood children will play games and win prizes—including a dunk tank competition.
“We’re excited for Wells Fargo volunteers to help out with this important community event,” says Jo Olson, Associate Director of Community Partnerships. “Southwood residents have voiced their love of family-centered, fun activities where they can connect with their neighbors. Market Day is a chance to really showcase their values of family and community.”
The grant is part of Wells Fargo’s national support of Habitat for Humanity’s neighborhood revitalization program, for which the company is providing a total of $200,000 to nine local Habitat organizations across the U.S. The Wells Fargo grant to Habitat in Charlottesville is helping to fund the Market Day festival, land clearing and maintenance, and other community engagement activities.
The Southwood Mobile Home Park is the site of a multiyear redevelopment process that is being driven by the residents who live there. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville owns the park and has worked collaboratively with residents for many years to ensure a newly redeveloped Southwood reflects the community’s vision and values.
“We have a long history of working with Habitat for Humanity to strengthen local neighborhoods and build better communities,” says Joe Raichel, Business Banking Area Manager at Wells Fargo. “In addition to providing grants, our team members volunteer to revitalize neighborhoods and create affordable and sustainable housing alongside families in need of a place to call home.”
On a national level, neighborhood revitalization is Habitat for Humanity’s approach for responding to community aspirations of reviving local neighborhoods and enhancing quality of life for current and future residents. Through strong partnerships with donors, volunteers and dedicated families, nearly 300 Habitat organizations across the country partner with families and communities to improve their quality of life through neighborhood revitalization.
Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has donated more than $70 million from 2010-2017 to Habitat locally and nationally, of which $32 million has supported national programs with Habitat for Humanity International and its mission of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.