Wells Fargo donated $10,000 to WNC Communities for our 74th WNC Honors Awards in 2023. Their generous contribution helped us reach a total of $64,000 raised for the WNC Honors Awards, which is distributed directly to our 67 member communities to support their rural development efforts.
“I am very proud of the collaboration between Wells Fargo and WNC Communities,” said Caitlyn McElroy of Wells Fargo. “I admire the passion exhibited from each community around mentoring the next generation and their desire for leadership skills to get to their neighbors, youth and volunteers.”
Donations from Wells Fargo and our other sponsors goes directly to community centers across fourteen Western North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which this year represented over 68,000 households. In the last year, over 7,900 volunteers contributed an impressive 128,456 hours of their time to assist their communities. Their efforts include everything from serving critical needs through food pantries, providing emergency assistance for families experiencing hardship, and bringing resources to their communities such as Wi-Fi access, libraries, thrift stores, educational classes, and rental space for small businesses. These clubs also provide a rare place in our rural areas for people to gather and connect over monthly dinners, holiday celebrations, annual festivals, and many other creative opportunities to socialize.
After the ceremony, Tan Robinson of Wells Fargo said, “It was truly a pleasure to witness first hand how giving begets giving. Thank you for allowing Wells Fargo to participate in the giving and seeing how far others take it to bless others.” The third representative of Wells Fargo, Crystol Jones, also said, “The WNC Honors Award was a fabulous celebration of the commitment and dedication local community centers have to making WNC a great place to live.”
We are grateful for Wells Fargo for investing in our community’s efforts to support the social, ecological, and economic health of our beloved mountain region. Thank you to Wells Fargo for your donation and for your support of our rural communities!
Pictured above are Jimmy Cowan, Chair of WNC Communities’ board receiving the $10,000 check from Caitlin McElroy, Crystol Jones, and Tan Robinson of Wells Fargo.
If your business is interested in becoming a sponsor of our 75th WNC Honors Awards, please contact our Executive Director, Jennifer Ferre, at (828) 252-4783.