Acworth Group Honored During Days of Giving

Special Needs Development Group of Acworth was honored with a $1,000 Days of Giving donation on Oct. 24 as the Wells Fargo program will exceed $1 million in grants to groups across Georgia this fall, since its beginning four years ago.

The group’s Lauren Ham accepted the grant from Jim Lawrence, Wells Fargo’s area president for Cobb County.

In all, 72 groups, 29 from Cobb, received $1,000 checks at a community breakfast at the Mansour Center in Marietta. Three additional breakfasts will occur in the next two weeks across Atlanta and 251 groups in all will receive the same gift as well.

Wells Fargo also announced that it is encouraging all the groups honored – and others – to take part in Georgia Gives Day. That is a statewide campaign to encourage people  throughout Georgia to support nonprofits, climaxing in a 24-hour statewide giving event on Dec. 6, 2012. Wells Fargo is helping the effort as a corporate sponsor and by getting the word out to customers through its bank stores.

“It’s great that Days of Giving has surpassed the million-dollar mark – and supporting Georgia Gives Day is a way to provide even more help,” Lawrence said. 

Focal point of Georgia Gives Day www.GAgivesday.org

The focal point of Georgia Gives Day is a comprehensive website, www.GAgivesday.org, that lists and describes hundreds of participating nonprofits.

It has widespread support, including from Gov. Nathan Deal and other elected officials and radio and TV stations across Georgia. It is being coordinated by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.

Karen Beavor, President and CEO of the center, spoke at the breakfast to encourage non-profits to take part.  “Georgians are generous people. We are excited to create an opportunity for everyone, in every corner of the state, to support the causes that make Georgia great,” she said.

The company also announced that its Atlanta team members had pledged or given $1.27 million through its annual United Way and Community Support campaign – 35 percent more than last year. 

Now in its fourth year in Atlanta, groups receiving Days of Giving grants were selected by team members at Wells Fargo’s almost 200 bank stores, and by team members in other business lines, for the work they are doing in the team members’ local areas.

“This illustrates our desire to be locally focused as America’s community bank,” Lawrence said. “And just the names of the groups selected show their passion to help special people who need it.”

Said Michael Knowles, business banking manager, “Our non-profits give so much to so many – our business bankers are so pleased to provide help to them in return.” 

Eleven other events are occurring across Georgia outside Atlanta, with 122 additional groups receiving $1,000 each.