Wells Fargo bank donated $50,000 Tuesday to New Directions for Veterans, and announced plans for the service organization’s choir to perform during the closing event of the 2016 Rose Parade to send a national message about the need to support veterans.
“Our veterans nobly give themselves to our country, help secure our homeland and advance the cause of freedom,” said Lisa Stevens, Wells Fargo executive vice president. ” … With their military service now behind them, Wells Fargo endeavors to be part of the solution by helping lay the foundation for what now lies ahead of them. We are honored to provide resources such as financial education to help veterans and their families achieve and maintain homeownership and attain successful career transitions.”
New Directions for Veterans provides transitional and permanent supportive housing for veterans, along with mental health and substance abuse treatment, job training and placement, legal assistance and financial education. The agency services about 1,100 veterans and their families in Los Angeles County each year.
“Los Angeles is spearheading a new approach to housing our homeless veterans with an unprecedented collaboration that brings together the philanthropy of the private sector with the expertise of nonprofits and the scale of government,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
He praised Wells Fargo for “setting an example for corporate partners across the country who are stepping up to help us meet the homelessness crisis head on.”
The New Directions Veterans Choir, meanwhile, will appear in the closing show of the upcoming Rose Parade, performing “This is My Country,” according to Wells Fargo.
— Wire reports