AROUND THE REGION Wells Fargo Delivers $300K to D.C. Area Nonprofits Via Caravan

By James Wright WI Staff Writer

The philanthropic arm of Wells Fargo Bank recently donated $300,000 in grants to six nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for the purpose of supporting efforts to increase African American and Latino homeownership in caravan style.

Donna Greene, vice president of diverse segments and home lending for Wells Fargo, was joined by colleagues Victor Burrola, senior community impact and sustainability specialist and Kenrick Thomas, senior communications consultant for the Atlantic region that covers the District, Maryland and Virginia as they traveled to the home offices of the nonprofits in the District, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties to deliver a check replica of the $50,000 each received on behalf of the bank’s foundation on June 30.

“Wells Fargo has a commitment to serve underserved communities,” Greene said. “Using mortgage housing, we want to close the gaps of disparity of wealth with paths to homeownership. These six $50,000 grants will make a difference in those organizations dedicated to expanding homeownership.”

The Caravan

The first nonprofit to receive their $50,000 grant was Housing Options and Planning Enterprises (H.O.P.E.) located in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Donna Hurley, the president, and CEO of H.O.P.E., was pleased to receive the grant.

“This $50,000 will be essential to our operation,” Hurley, 67, said. “It will go to the livelihood of the organization by providing funds for overhead and salary and helping to keep our team in place.”

From Oxon Hill, the Wells Fargo officials went to the office of University Legal Services (ULS) in Northeast, a block east of Union Station. Jane M. Brown, ULS’s executive director, greeted the officials and thanked them for the grant.

“This money will help us embrace our housing counseling services for first time homebuyers in D.C.,” Brown, 63, said. “It will also be used to help assist tenants in buying their buildings that are up for sale.”

The bank officials left Northeast to travel back to Prince George’s County to Centro de Apoyo Familiar (CAF) in Riverdale, Maryland. CAF primarily assists Latino and immigrant families purchase homes and work to prevent foreclosures. Walkira Pool, the president and founder of CAF, said her organization is no stranger to Wells Fargo.

“Wells Fargo was our first funder,” Pool, 47, said of her founding in 2009.

The caravan stayed in Prince George’s County, venturing west to the offices of the Housing Initiative Partnership Inc., (HIP) in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Maryanne Dillon, HIP’s executive director, said the grant will be used to support primarily the housing counseling program.

“We operate on a $2 million budget,” Dillon, 71, said. “We need resources to pay for what we do. The good thing about the Wells Fargo grant is that it is unrestricted money, and we can use it as we see fit.”

The Wells Fargo group left Prince George’s County to go into the District on Eastern Avenue in Northwest to the offices of Manna Homes.

Scott Willis, the chief operating officer of Manna, said the Wells Fargo grant will be used for its home ownership programs.

“We will use it to fund the Home Ownership Center,” Willis, 55, said. “We help people with their full cycle journey experience. Our goal is to turn renters into homeowners.”

The last stop on the caravan was the offices of First Home Alliance, Inc., (FHA) in Rockville, Maryland in Montgomery County

“We will use the grant to continue our outreach and increase our social media presence,” said Larry Laws, founder, and president of FHA. “Also, the money will help us to develop more programs. I thank Wells Fargo for this grant because it says a lot when a major bank backs you.” WI @JamesWrightJr10

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Take an Inside Look at Paris FW ‘23 with Somewhere DC

By WI Bridge Staff

Paris Fashion Week represents a pivotal event for retail stores, providing a platform to highlight upcoming trends, showcase new designs, and connect directly with customers. This immersion into the fashion world intensifies the retail customer experience, offering a peek into the future of style and guiding their purchasing decisions.

Retailers are not just selling clothes—they’re selling inspiration, innovation, and identity, solidifying their brand image while directly impacting consumer choices and their approach to personal style.

We visited to witness the sights and sounds of the important week in international fashion and get an up close look at how D.C.-based retail store Somewhere approaches the buying process and brings a world of fashion to our local market. WI