Volunteers from Wells Fargo, the Greater Women’s Business Council and Invest Atlanta decorated the iVillage in southwest Atlanta with holiday cheer on Saturday as part of the bank’s “Hope USA” campaign to bring hope to diverse small businesses across the country.
Wells Fargo also surprised four minority-owned small businesses with $5,000 checks at the iVillage, Atlanta’s first container village. The small business corridor features a florist, an architecture firm, a sweat treats store and a food vendor.
Volunteers hung up wreaths on storefronts, put ornaments on a tree and handed out goodies to help freshen up the iVillage ahead of Small Business Saturday next weekend.
“Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities. They pump life into our neighborhoods, making them vibrant places to live and work and raise families,” said Wells Fargo Social Impact and Sustainability Vice President Tai Roberson. “We are excited to come together with community partners to beatify and refresh the iVillage. We can all play an important role in driving our economic recovery, and we encourage everyone to join in giving hope a hand and patronize our local small businesses this holiday season.”
Wells Fargo also announced a $75,000 grant to the Greater Women’s Business Council.
“The Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC) is proud to partner with Wells Fargo in support of diverse businesses in underserved communities,” said GWBC President and CEO Roz Lewis. “There are some great minority- and women-owned businesses at iVillage @ MLK that are leaders in their communities. Our goal is to engage the women businesses in the GWBC network, providing certification and development resources to scale their businesses. We want to thank Wells Fargo for this great opportunity and appreciate the commitment to create thriving business communities.”