By Daily Press staff
Wells Fargo last year awarded $115,500 to 16 non-profit organizations in the cities of Santa Monica and Venice.
The company remains the largest corporate contributor to non-profit organizations in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and west San Bernardino counties, giving $11 million to 1,160 organizations last year to support community development, education, human services and cultural/civic projects, bank representatives said.
“Our contributions to nonprofits are an investment in the long-term well being of the communities we serve,” said Shelley Benson, Wells Fargo regional president for the Los Angeles community bank. “In addition to our cash contributions, our team members volunteer thousands of hours and their talents to help make our communities even better places to live and work.”
Wells Fargo contributed more than half of its Santa Monica and Venice charitable donations to education and youth programs. Local programs like Painted Turtle, the Boys and Girls Club of Venice, McKinley Elementary School P.T.A., Neighborhood Youth Association and Will Rogers Elementary School benefited from the charitable giving.
Donations also supported Santa Monica community groups like John Wayne Cancer Institute Auxiliary, the Rape Foundation, the Center for Healthy Aging, the CLARE Foundation, Santa Monica Firefighters, the Musicares Foundation, the Santa Monica Theatre Guild and Special Olympics.
In 2005, Wells Fargo donated $95.2 million to more than 15,000 organizations nationwide. Business Week magazine ranked, for the second year in a row, Wells Fargo as the ninth-most generous supporter of non-profit organizations in the nation. SM firm hires two media specialists
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 16, 2006. Read the original PDF.