A team from Wells Fargo ready to greet students at Books on Break
“What we want to be known for is helping in the communities where people live, work, and bank,” explains Bill Wenner, Funding Leader with Wells Fargo Auto in Raleigh and member of local Contributions Council. That’s why Wells Fargo has developed deep relationships with local organizations like Book Harvest.
Wells Fargo donated $440 million to nonprofits nationwide in 2018 alone. Their philanthropic goals focus on housing affordability, small business growth and financial health and local leaders are empowered to address key community issues like education and early childhood literacy. This year, Wells Fargo has signed on as a Lead Sponsor for Dream Big 2020. Explains Bill, “We believe that Book Harvest’s work is critical to the future health and vibrancy of our community.”
But Wells Fargo gives back in ways beyond financial donations, too. More than 2,600 local team members volunteered for 26,000 hours in 2019 — including at Books on Break here in Durham for the past two years. In fact, every Wells Fargo employee gets 16 hours per year to use volunteering for a community organization that is personally meaningful to them.
“We hope there will be a spark when they go offsite to volunteer,” says Bill. “If we can continue to get people out serving in the community, they’ll realize it’s fun and they can play a role in helping to solve problems bigger than their own.”