The OFN 2010 Conference
Fourth Annual Wachovia Wells Fargo NEXT Awards for Opportunity Finance
The Fourth Annual Wachovia Wells Fargo NEXT Awards for Opportunity Finance was held at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, and attendees were treated to an evening of fun and festivities in celebration of CDFIs and the recipients of these prestigious awards.
To kick off the evening, the NEXT Impact video was shown, featuring interviewees from this year’s stellar Selection Committee, who talked about the importance of CDFIs on the economy, the future, and the communities they serve. They also discussed what it takes to be a NEXT CDFI.
Next, Jon Campbell, Executive Vice President and head of Social Responsibility, Wells Fargo, congratulated the two NEXT finalists, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, and Partners for the Common Good, before their videos were shown.
After the screening of these inspiring videos, Jon again took the stage to reveal each of the four $25,000 award recipients in turn: Forward Community Investments for excellence in advocacy; Bethex Federal Credit Union for excellence in community impact; Business Carolina for excellence in financing; and Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs for excellence in innovation.
Then the audience saw videos and heard speeches from Enterprise Cascadia and Boston Community Capital—2010 NEXT Awardees and two extraordinary CDFIs with a bright future that will impact and improve the future of the CDFIs industry, and the communities they serve.
Enterprise Cascadia is the 2010 recipient of the $2.75 million award for Opportunity Finance in the $10 million–$50 million dollar category.
Debra Schwartz, Director of Program Related Initiatives, MacArthur Foundation introduced John Berdes, President and CEO of Enterprise Cascadia, who delivered a speech detailing how Enterprise Cascadia will use the award money to help control climate change through their green financing initiatives.
Then Debra introduced Elyse Cherry, President of Boston Community Capital, the 2010 $5.5 million recipient in the $50 million dollar and greater category, and Elyse delivered a memorable speech detailing the mortgage crisis, and how BCC has been able prevent local families from being evicted from their homes.
Finally, OFN President and CEO Mark Pinsky took the stage with Jon Campbell, who made an exciting announcement that Wells Fargo will be renewing their support in the NEXT Awards for another five years!
To read more about the Awardees or learn how to apply for next year visit www.nextawards.org.
