Operation HOPE to Bring Economic Empowerment to Jacksonville Residents through Regions, SunTrust and Wells Fargo Support

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Operation HOPE (HOPE) announced today that it has secured the support of Regions, SunTrust and Wells Fargo banks to offer HOPE Inside locations within specific branches to conduct financial literacy training to expand economic opportunities for individuals and small businesses owners of Jacksonville. The programs are expected to be operational by the end of the second quarter 2015.

"Working with Regions Bank, SunTrust Bank and Wells Fargo Bank, will allow Operation HOPE to leverage the 2.5 million dollar matching grant from the Department of Commerce to provide a full range of tools, information, access and personal guidance for struggling small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and those who wish to improve their financial acuity," said James "Jay" Bailey, Atlanta Market CEO overseeing the Southeastern Region for Operation HOPE. "It is our plan for the residents of Jacksonville to have access to a HOPE Inside within several banks, as well as highly visited spaces, to help them move up the financial ladder to economic freedom and success."

HOPE secured the support of Regions Bank Executive Vice President Rick Swagler to establish a HOPE Inside Branch. Regions Bank looks to target a location somewhere within their Duval county network, such as recreation centers and libraries. 

Through the support of SunTrust Bank, under the local leadership of Arnold Evans and the bank's Managing Executive for HOPE Inside, Chris Geganto, SunTrust will offer HOPE Inside Certified Plus in select branches and public locations. These locations will provide trained bank associates to deliver credit and money management workshops, homebuyer workshops and small business workshops.

Wells Fargo lends its support through the Historic Springfield Community Learning Center, a partnership between Wells Fargo and the Jacksonville Urban League Economic and Community Development Foundation. The facility will offer services of a HOPE Inside at the facility.  

Additionally, a series of Financial Empowerment workshops promoting HOPE's Banking on Our Future – College Edition began in February 2015 on the campus of Edward Waters College.  It is the first of multiple workshops and programs to increase the financial literacy of faculty and students, and eventually members of the Kings Road community.

"We are excited to have Operation HOPE here in Jacksonville to help strengthen our economy and advance our vision as a city of opportunity," said Mayor Alvin Brown. "This great public-private partnership builds on our current efforts to promote entrepreneurship, job creation and economic vitality in neighborhoods across the community."

In December 2014, Bryant met with Jacksonville Mayor Brown and the JAX Chamber to discuss measures to strengthen the Jacksonville economy. The new partnership builds on the City of Jacksonville's ongoing efforts to promote entrepreneurship and job creation. These include: Business Builder, which connects entrepreneurs with services to help them succeed; the Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business program, which works to expand procurement and contracting opportunities with the City; and the Renew Jax initiative, which includes a focus on revitalizing neighborhood and commercial corridors.

HOPE Inside is a program of Operation HOPE's Project 5117, which focuses on strengthening the economy by empowering youth and people who earn less than $50,000 a year. Project 5117 includes a broad range of free neighborhood-based financial education services such as homeownership counseling, credit card debt management, helping people raise their credit scores to 700, financial literacy education for young people and entrepreneurship training and support.

About Operation HOPE, Inc. Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been providing financial dignity and economic empowerment to over 2.2 million individuals worldwide. Through its work, HOPE turns check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners and small business dreamers into small business owners and minimum wage workers into living wage consumers.  Project 5117 is supported by a range of national alliances, including the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), American Bankers Association and Protective Life, among others.

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SOURCE Operation HOPE