Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Wells Fargo Regional President Carl Miller stood by a podium set up at 109 W. Adalee St. - right in front of a home that needs rehabilitation.
The men presented six local nonprofit organizations with grants totaling $800,000 for their efforts in affordable housing construction, shelter and support services for the homeless, neighborhood beautification and improvement, workforce development programs, and small and micro-business assistance.
Buckhorn took time to recognize the work of Wells Fargo in the community.
"While the check is important and while the money is important, what's even more important is the commitment of this corporation to the greater good," he said, "They recognize that they have an obligation themselves to reach down and help pull someone up along the way."
The grant comes from a $7 million dollar commitment to local housing initiatives by the Wells Fargo's Neighborhood LIFT program, which is designed to stabilize neighborhoods affected by the housing crisis.
The six non-profits which shared the grants are:
- Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay - $300,000
- Tampa Bay Black Business Initiative Fund - $175,000
- Volunteers of America - $150,000
- Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful - $75,000
- USF Small Business Development Center - $50,000
- McDonald's Training Center - $50,000
USF's Small Business Development Center already had an idea of how to use the money.
"We're going to be identifying small business owners that are already existing within this area and we're going to identify several of them and help them grow and expand their businesses, creating jobs, generating more sales, and by doing that, they'll be a bigger boon to the economy," said Eileen Rodriguez, USF's SBDC regional director.
