Committing to the San Diego community
Acting on its brand message and promise of “creating opportunities,” BBVA Compass continues to pave the way for people and communities throughout its footprint. Most recently, the bank dedicated time to two community service projects in San Diego as a sponsor of AFP Aware, an initiative where the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), as part of its annual conference, partners with organizations committed to corporate and social responsibility.
To kick off AFP Aware’s recent community events in San Diego, keynote speaker and television host Mike Rowe provided volunteers with some words of encouragement, noting that “it’s okay to feel really good about doing something nice for somebody else.” BBVA Compass, in its eighth consecutive year of sponsoring AFP Aware, helped bring those words to life by taking part in efforts that improved the wellbeing of neglected children and the San Diego River.
BBVA Compass Treasury Management Executive Director Nanette Crocker stated that AFP Aware’s guiding principles closely aligns with the bank's brand and that joining in on the organization’s efforts is a perfect fit for giving back to the San Diego community.
AFP Aware and BBVA Compass share the same outlook of creating opportunities for people and their communities.
“AFP Aware and BBVA Compass share the same outlook of creating opportunities for people and their communities,” said Crocker. “We’re proud to be an ongoing sponsor of AFP Aware. One kind act at a time, we seamlessly worked together and participated in impactful community efforts that will brighten San Diego.”
For AFP Aware’s event at Polinsky Children’s Center, an emergency shelter for abandoned children in San Diego County, BBVA Compass employees and other finance professionals joined hands with Promises2Kids to help children at the shelter feel more at home. The volunteers made fleece blankets and created birthday cards, as well as packed care boxes since many children at the Polinsky Center arrive with limited resources. Promises2Kids provides support to more 3,000 current and former foster youth annually.
BBVA Compass volunteers also assisted in environmental efforts for AFP Aware’s event at the San Diego River in collaboration with the San Diego River Park Foundation, an organization with a mission of improving the river’s health after a 34-gallon sewage spill in 2000. Volunteers participated in the foundation’s Coastal Habitat Restoration Project along the San Diego River Mouth, a disappearing coastal dune habitat in California. To help restore the habitat, nearly 50 volunteers, including BBVA Compass employees, participated in removing invasive plant species, planting native plants, fixing trails and picking up litter.
At BBVA Compass, we take pride in infusing ourselves in our communities.
“At BBVA Compass, we take pride in infusing ourselves in our communities,” said BBVA Compass Treasury Solutions Group Product Manager Tara Childress. “We’re constantly finding opportunities to provide helping hands and engage in initiatives that enhance the communities we serve. AFP Aware has allowed us to give back to San Diego in significant ways.”
BBVA Compass’ involvement in the San Diego community underscores its overall community commitment. In late 2014, the bank announced its intent to help the communities it serves by committing to an $11 billion, five-year pledge. Over the course of five years, starting in 2015, BBVA Compass plans to originate $10.1 billion in community lending and commit $900 million to community investments and grants.