Wells Fargo donated a generous $15,000 to WNC Communities for our 76th Annual WNC Honors Awards, held on November 15, 2025. This contribution helped us reach a total of $121,000 raised for the WNC Honors Awards, which is distributed directly to our 81 member communities to support the incredible work of these volunteer-led organizations.
Josh English of Wells Fargo shared, “Wells Fargo is honored to continue supporting WNC Communities because we see firsthand the impact their work has across Western North Carolina. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, our region faced challenges unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Throughout that recovery—and long before it—WNC Communities has been a steady, trusted force helping neighborhoods rebuild, strengthening local organizations, and improving the quality of life for countless families.”
As witnessed during the WNC Honors Awards ceremony, rural community centers are truly the backbone of the region. WNC Communities is proud to celebrate the remarkable work of our member community clubs, and we are grateful for Wells Fargo’s support in so doing.
It is important to note that donations from Wells Fargo and our other sponsors go directly to the community centers during each year’s WNC Honors Awards ceremony. Together, this year’s 81 participating communities represent approximately 100,000 households across Western North Carolina. Over the past year, they engaged more than 7,707 volunteers, who contributed 317,157 total service hours. Using the current volunteer value rate of $34.79 an hour, that equals over $11 million in contributed time alone. Community leaders and members volunteered their time and energy toward projects focused on collaborative emergency response, food access, education, youth engagement, social and digital connectivity, community health and wellness, and entrepreneurial development.
We are incredibly thankful for Wells Fargo’s continued investment in rural community efforts to support the health of our extraordinary mountain region. Thank you to Wells Fargo for your donation and your ongoing support of the people and communities in our mountain region.
Pictured above is Karen Hammett, Chair of WNC Communities’ Board, receiving the $15,000 check from Josh English of Wells Fargo.
If your business is interested in becoming a sponsor of our 77th WNC Honors Awards for 2026, please contact our Executive Director, Jennifer Ferre, at (828) 252-4783.