San Antonio - Woodforest National Bank, National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and LiftFund have partnered to offer the 2016 Community Reinvestment Symposium on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. Open to the public at no cost, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff will provide welcoming remarks at the symposium that brings together leaders of 30 national, regional, and local community development organizations to address the needs of low and moderate income families and individuals.
Topic experts will present national and local perspectives on the challenges that affect economically disadvantaged communities. The thought-provoking discussion will cover ways to increase wealth through effective policies and programs, such as small business lending, affordable housing and wealth preservations policies. In addition, best practices in accessing and utilizing capital to effectively and responsibly scale community development services will be shared.
Featured collaborators include LiftFund, National Council of La Raza, Alamo Community Group, Raza Development Fund, NeighborWorks® America, and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“Woodforest is proud to help convene leaders whose mission, passion and purpose is to improve access to credit for families and individuals of low- and moderate-income. These events are an important piece of the collaboration essential to identify needs and achieve the greatest impact for those most in need in the San Antonio and New Braunfels Community" said Doug Schaeffer, Woodforest National Bank, Executive Vice President of CRA. “Woodforest is deeply committed to identifying needs and challenges and be a catalyst for change by creating valuable synergies in the communities we serve”
Woodforest National Bank will share how it is responding to the needs of the community and how it plans to grow its community development commitment in the San Antonio-New Braunfels markets.
“This is the perfect opportunity to create awareness on how organizations with completely different backgrounds can come together to make a difference,” said Janie Barrera, LiftFund President and CEO. “We are only one piece of the puzzle that helps strengthen communities, and we are excited to share how LiftFund can help through small business lending and education.”
“NCLR and its Affiliate network believe hard working families should have access to safe financial products that will allow them an opportunity at achieving the American Dream and secure their long-term financial stability”, said Sonia Troche, NCLR Texas Regional Director. "Policy makers, community based organizations, and community leaders can work together to promote programs and policies that help families achieve a better quality of life".
The 2016 Community Reinvestment Symposium will take place at the LiftFund Community Center located at 2007 W. Martin Street on April 13 from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The event is open to nonprofit community organizations and registration is required. For more information or to register, please contact Daniel Galindo at dgalindo@woodforest.com or (210) 862-0511.
About LiftFund
Established in 1994 in San Antonio, LiftFund is a nonprofit financial and business-support service organization that helps entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, stabilize and increase their incomes, create employment and contribute to the economic revitalization of their communities. LiftFund has the nation’s largest microlender portfolio and is committed to providing capital to entrepreneurs who do not have access to loans from commercial sources. Since its inception, LiftFund has made over 17,400 loans totaling more than $211 million. LiftFund operates in thirteen states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. For more information, visit www.liftfund.com
About NCLR
NCLR-the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States-works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org
About Woodforest National Bank
Woodforest National Bank is a privately owned financial institution based in The Woodlands, Texas. It has successfully stood among the strongest community banks in the nation, proudly offering unsurpassed quality customer service since 1980. Woodforest National Bank offers both consumer and business products and services at more than 749 branches in 17 states across the United States. For more information, visit www.woodforest.com