A Partnership Making a Difference: Bank of America and B1C

Stamford, CT: Building One Community (B1C) receives hundreds of calls a day from a community in distress, and its COVID-19 fund directly supports the most vulnerable populations. Many immigrants have been living paycheck to paycheck, with jobs such as childcare providers, restaurant workers, and delivery drivers. Now their hours have been cut, or worse, their jobs are gone. A large portion of this community has also tested positive for COVID-19. They have been forced to self-isolate with little to no support from anyone. Since many do not have personal savings and aren't able to easily navigate the city's social services without help, they face an extremely chaotic and stressful time.

Building One Community has been working around the clock to support immigrants. Services include everything from setting up a food pantry, to offering family service support by phone and video, to providing legal immigration assistance by phone or video, to organizing online youth learning support services. "Our focus during this crisis is people, first and foremost,” said Catalina Horak, Executive Director, Building One Community. “We are proud to be supported by so many incredible partners to lend humanitarian assistance to those in need. For example, Bank of America's latest grant directly supports our COVID-19 efforts.” Bank of America has been a valuable partner to B1C for the past five years. This partnership continues to make a positive difference in Southern Connecticut. It began in 2015 when B1C was awarded the prestigious Neighborhood Builder grant. This generous $200,000 grant was just the beginning of a long-term partnership to make a significant impact in helping the community. Over the years, Bank of America has supported B1C's initiatives to help provide critical services and programs to improve the quality of life in the immigrant community. Bank of America employees have been helping train and counsel families on managing their personal finances, organizing and participating in Financial Fairs, packing and donating backpacks filled with school supplies for program participant children, and more. Today, in the wake of the coronavirus, the bank has stepped up once again — this time to support Building One Community’s COVID-19 response efforts. Bank of America’s aid will help B1C continue to distribute food and necessities to those affected by COVID-19.

“Bank of America’s local grant commitment is helping non-profits in Connecticut and across the nation to support vulnerable populations, address food insecurity, and increase medical response capacity,” said Bill Tommins, Southern Connecticut Market President for Bank of America. “Immigrant communities have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus and partnering with Building One Community ensures these families have continued support. Thank you, Building One Community, for your dedication to families in need in Connecticut.” If you would like to donate to the COVID-19 Response Fund or learn of volunteer opportunities available to assist with everything from online English Language Learning to youth online learning support, please visit the website Building1Community.org to learn more.

About Building One Community

Building One Community (also known as B1C) is a nonprofit organization, established in 2011 that provides a comprehensive resource center for immigrants in the greater Stamford area. The mission of Building One Community is to advance the successful integration of immigrants and their families. Since its inception, the organization has served over 10,400 immigrants from 102 different countries. B1C provides free services that educate, employ, empower, and engage immigrants and the broader community. Programs offered include ELL (English Language Learner) programs, family and individual support services, immigration legal services, and workforce development programs. Community volunteers, donors, and partnerships are an essential component of the growth of Building One Community. More information may be found at Building1Community.org.

About Bank of America

At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News). Bank of America has delivered more than $2 billion in philanthropic investments since 2009, with approximately $250 million in 2019 alone. In April 2019, the company announced a $5 billion Bank of America Community Homeownership CommitmentTM to benefit low- and moderate-income homebuyers and communities across the U.S. over the next five years. Also in 2019, Bank of America Community Development Banking provided a record $4.88 billion in loans, tax credit equity investments and other real estate development solutions. Between 2005 and 2019, Bank of America financed 202,800 affordable housing units.

To meet the unique needs of its 12 million small business owners, the company provides advice, solutions and dedicated support. Bank of America maintained its position as the nation’s top small business lender at the end of 2019, with $38.9 billion in total outstanding small business loan balances (defined as business loans in original amounts of $1 million and under), up 7% year over year. For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts. www.bankofamerica.com

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