United Way of Summit & Medina announced today that it would receive a $20,000 grant from Wells Fargo. Among other direct services, the grant will support free financial coaching, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and others offered through the Akron Financial Empowerment Center (FEC).
The Akron FEC was created through a partnership between the City of Akron and United Way of Summit & Medina. The FEC provides free, one-on-one financial coaching, available to all Summit and Medina County residents regardless of income. It is also home to United Way’s VITA program, which provides free tax preparation services to residents of Summit and Medina counties. The FEC helps to advance United Way of Summit & Medina’s Bold Goal 3 – to financially empower 11,000 Summit County residents and 2,500 Medina County residents by 2028.
Since the 2018 opening of the Akron FEC, Wells Fargo has awarded more than $200,000 in grants to United Way of Summit & Medina. In this time, the FEC has helped residents in Summit and Medina counties increase their savings by more than $2 million while reducing their debt by more than $5 million. In addition, United Way’s VITA program has generated more than $16 million for local residents through refunds and savings to clients.
Services offered through the FEC are available via phone, virtually and in person at locations throughout Summit and Medina counties. To schedule an appointment, dial 2-1-1 or visit uwsummitmedina.org/fec.
“Financially empowering people is at the core of what we do,” said Jason Sutton, market executive, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking, Ohio region. “By working with United Way of Summit & Medina, we’re helping to ensure local families and individuals have the tools to budget, save, pay down debt and increase their credit scores.”
“Services that promote financial empowerment are some of the most powerful tools available to help residents, strengthen neighborhoods and accelerate the economic engine of our community,” said Jim Mullen, president and CEO of United Way of Summit & Medina. “We are thrilled to have Wells Fargo as a committed and long-term partner in our work. They understand that promoting these services and advancing financial stability is an investment that will pay off in the future success of our community.”