Corporate neighbors can be huge supporters of their communities, funding local services, helping nonprofits through donations and grants, and even volunteering their time and labor to important causes. Wells Fargo Advisors is one such company in St. Louis. Across the nation, Wells Fargo has made $281 million in charitable donations to date, and locally, it’s making just as big of an impact. This year alone, it is investing $5 million to make St. Louis a better place to live and work.
According to head of community affairs Vanessa Cooksey, Wells Fargo carefully considers its philanthropic initiatives. “We are very strategic,” she says. “Our goal is to help communities overcome barriers to financial success.” She explains that in 2016, the company started gathering data and talking to community leaders to determine the most pressing concerns in the St. Louis
area. Four major areas of need were identified: diversity and inclusion, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, and elder financial protection.
To address these concerns, Wells Fargo has formed several important community partnerships. The Wells Fargo Finance Education Center at Harris-Stowe State University provides tools to develop skills for the financial services industry, and internship opportunities, to students of the historically black university. The company also is working with the Regional Arts Commission to expose area middle school students to art programs and facilitated dialogues about diversity and inclusion through a four-year, $1 million grant. Partnering with Gateway Greening, the company provided a $100,000 grant to create and expand 25 community and school gardens. Wells Fargo also collaborates with the United Way to help underserved youth explore career options, and works with several organizations to help seniors protect their finances. This is all in addition to the support the company gives local cultural institutions like the Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden and St. Louis Symphony. “Investing in the things we share as a community is important,” Cooksey says. “It helps build a culture of inclusion and makes St. Louis stronger.”
Wells Fargo also supports its employees’ engagement with causes they are passionate about. “Volunteerism is a part of our company’s DNA,” Cooksey says. “Our managers and leaders are supportive of team members’ volunteer work because it develops leadership and other skills.” Courtney Hemmer, who oversees employee volunteerism and giving, says Wells Fargo has a volunteer chapter of 1,800 team members. One of its major initiatives is coordinating six collection drives on the Wells Fargo campus. Items collected include canned foods, school supplies, items for animal shelters and veterans, toys, and business clothing for college students. In addition to the drives, local employee volunteer initiatives raised $3.8 million and committed 25,000 volunteer hours in 2016.
Another major partnership employees have embraced is with Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis. For the first time, team members are working to complete an entire house in south St. Louis. Cooksey finds the collaboration a perfect fit. The community served by Habitat for Humanity—underserved families, veterans and seniors—is also who Wells Fargo targets through its own philanthropic initiatives, she says. “Working with Habitat for Humanity is a double win,” she says. “It provides housing for people in need and gives our team members the chance to make a very tangible difference.”
Wells Fargo Advisors is a premier financial services firm that helps its clients succeed through investment planning and advice for meeting life needs and financial goals. Pictured on the cover: Team members Ameena Ilyas, Cameron Cobb and LaTonya Williams at a Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis build. For more information, visit wellsfargoadvisors.com.
Cover design by Allie Bronsky | Cover photo by Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton Photography
Pictured at top: Wells Fargo team members (clockwise from bottom left): Connie Young, Catherine Leaders, Tina Bell, Angela Gilliland, Sheila McPherson, Jennifer Johanning, Melissa Morgan, Carrie Bechtold, Dana Warnek and Jeff Coverdell assemble gym kits for middle school students.
Photo courtesy of Wells Fargo Advisors
