Seven Local Nonprofits Receive Grants from Wells Fargo

Seven nonprofits in Virginia-Highland, Poncey-Highland and Druid Hills received a $1,000 grant from Wells Fargo this week.

Since bringing its retail banking to the Atlanta market three years ago, Wells Fargo & Co. has sought to carve out a niche as a community bank in spite of being the nation's fourth-largest financial institution.

As part of that effort, the San Francisco-based bank looks to identify those organizations and groups that are dedicated to Atlanta's many neighborhoods and needs.

On Wednesday, the bank held its third-annual "Days of Giving" initiative at Trees Atlanta, which recognizes those groups and the work they do.

Local nonprofits awarded grant money include Camp Sunshine, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (two separate grants), CURE Childhood Cancer Inc., Piedmont Park Conservancy, Project Open Hand Atlanta, Inc. and Wayne Gandy Foundation.

"Days of Giving" is an extension of the bank's philosophy of encouraging branch managers and employees to really be involved in the communities they serve, Mike Donnelly, Wells Fargo's Atlanta regional president told Patch.

The organizations picked were chosen at the branch level.

Separately, Wells Fargo said its Atlanta employees gave or pledged $937,000 in donations to the bank's United Way and Community Support campaign. The company, which is United Way's single largest corporate giver through employee campaigns nationwide, also is giving $600,000 to the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.

Peralte Paul contributed to this report.