Regions
Financial Corporation on Friday announced the release of the
company’s annual Social
Responsibility Report.
A Hayes K-8 School student receives after-school academic help from a Center for a New Generation instructor. The CNG program is among the outreaches highlighted in Regions' Social Responsibility Report. (Photo: Business Wire)
The report, titled “Doing More,” illustrates how Regions carried out its
commitment to serving communities and customers throughout 2014. Beyond
providing everyday banking services, Regions actively seeks and supports
programs and organizations that share Regions’ goal of making life
better in the communities we call home. “Doing More” highlights several
examples of initiatives supported by Regions in order to make a positive
impact.
“Regions associates have a passion for making a difference in the lives
of those we serve,” said Regions Financial Corporation Chairman,
President and CEO Grayson Hall. “One of our core operating values is to
‘Reach Higher,’ and our commitment to do more and reach more people
reflects that value. We’re committed to finding projects that involve
job creation, economic development, promotion of diversity, financial
education, safe and affordable housing, and a host of other initiatives.
For us, it’s about using our time, our talent and our resources to
actively help make a real difference.”
Examples of Regions “Doing More,” highlighted in the report, include:
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Doing More to Provide Affordable Housing:
“This is home, but it’s more than a home to me,” explained Rinal Martin.
“It’s security.”
Martin is a longtime teacher and Job Corps supervisor. Six years ago, he
was disabled by a heart attack and stroke that left him without a
salary. Living on a modest disability allocation, Martin had few options
for safe, affordable housing.
That changed when he found The Delamore in New Orleans.
Serving low-income tenants with positive background checks, The Delamore
was designed to help meet an overwhelming need for affordable housing in
the Crescent City. The Gulf Coast Housing Partnership (GCHP) turned to
Regions to help fund The Delamore – as well as Esplanade Avenue, another
affordable housing option under development.
“These people are rebuilding their lives, and they just need a place to
live that’s safe,” said Mike Scott, Regional Community Affairs manager
for Regions Bank in New Orleans. Scott and his team worked with the GCHP
to identify financing solutions that are helping people like Martin find
a comfortable, secure place to live.
“When you do a deal like this and know what it means for the community,
when you drive by and see people who made it home, it makes you feel
that you’ve accomplished something,” Scott said.
VIDEO: How
Regions is Doing More in New Orleans
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Doing More for Small Businesses:
“People told me, ‘You could go somewhere else and be a lot more
successful,’” recalled Andre Williams during a conversation at his
diner, You Gotta Eat Here, in inner-city St. Louis. “But I live in this
neighborhood, I work in this neighborhood, and my kids go to the public
schools here. Right across the street is the Boys & Girls Club, which
I’ve been helping for 30 years. I don’t want to go anywhere else.’”
With services from Justine PETERSEN, supported by Regions Bank, Williams
is planning to stay right where he is. Justine PETERSEN is a community
organization named after a trailblazer who helped low- to
moderate-income families achieve homeownership. Today, Justine PETERSEN
also works with small business owners to help them with micro-lending so
they can access capital they need to grow and succeed.
“The people coming to us often aren’t served by institutional banks,”
explained Rob Boyle, Justine PETERSEN’s president and CEO. “They need
help with building their credit. As any one business thrives, it creates
a new spirit for more entrepreneurs.”
Now, Justine PETERSEN is working with Regions to provide even more
capital so even more businesses can reach their potential. Beyond
providing business capital, Regions Midwest Area President Mike Hart
said Regions associates are able to use their expertise to help business
owners, individuals, and families identify and reach their financial
goals.
“There are some areas we know best, including financial education,
understanding credit, teaching savings and borrowing smart, that align
perfectly with Justine PETERSEN’s priorities and can create positive,
uplifting change,” Hart said.
Regions associates are consistently seeking additional avenues through
which they can share financial education and expertise. Further, Regions
is working with schools in North St. Louis County to help students and
families with college preparatory and career placement opportunities.
The company is also working with housing and economic developers to
identify ways to spur additional economic recovery in the North County
area.
VIDEO: How
Regions is Doing More in St. Louis
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Doing More for the Next Generation:
It is almost 6:00 p.m. School dismissed hours ago. But in a computer lab
at Hayes K-8 School in Birmingham, dozens of students’ eyes light up as
they use interactive software designed to strengthen their math skills.
Down the hall, others are receiving one-on-one instructional support as
they complete homework assignments.
Around the corner, curious children play their first few musical notes
on a variety of instruments, quickly gaining confidence as instructors
encourage them to discover their talents.
Scenes like this can be found every day at the Center for a New
Generation (CNG), which was brought to Hayes in 2014.
The CNG program was co-founded by Dr. Condoleezza Rice in California. It
is more than an after-school program. CNG offers academic and arts
enrichment designed to supplement what students learn during the school
day and encourage a lifelong passion for learning.
Leaders of the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club saw how CNG was helping
students in other cities. They saw a need for the concept in Birmingham.
So they turned to Regions, Birmingham City Schools, and others, to make
their vision a reality.
“Many young people in our communities don’t have the enrichment
opportunities that are often available elsewhere,” said Frank Adams,
president and CEO of the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club. “Working with
Regions, which has been a wonderful partner with A.G. Gaston for years,
we are bridging the gap and providing academic and artistic enrichment
opportunities that our participants wouldn’t be able to access
otherwise.”
VIDEO: How
Regions is Doing More in Birmingham
The above summaries reflect only a portion of Regions’ efforts in 2014.
The “Doing More” report details several other initiatives, such as Regions
helping connect inner-city business owners with no-cost executive
education to help them strengthen their companies. Readers can also
see how Regions is supporting a
student-run high school farm that provides food for nearby families
living in hunger. Further, in 2014, Regions supported more than
8,000 organizations across more than a dozen states served by Regions
through grants, donations, charitable contributions, volunteer time and
sponsorships. Regions associates also participated in the company’s
“Share the Good” program, which organized or supported a wide range of
services ranging from random acts of kindness to food drives and
financial education classes.
The complete “Doing More” 2014 Social Responsibility Report is available
on the Regions Financial web site at www.regions.com/socialresponsibility.
About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $122 billion in assets, is
a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest
full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth
management, mortgage, and insurance products and services. Regions
serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and
through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,650
banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Additional information about Regions and
its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.
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