Barclays US supports small business
Barclays US Consumer Bank, Wilmington, will conduct a variety of activities to support local small businesses at part of Small Business Week. The issuer also announced promotions for its credit cards.
Barclays will host a small business fair and pitch competition on May 8 for entrepreneurs from the Launcher Entrepreneurship Program, which provides aspiring entrepreneurs with training and financial support to help start or scale their small businesses in Delaware.
Since 2016, Barclays has provided more than $1 million to support Launcher, which is an initiative of the West End Neighborhood House, a Delaware-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals achieve self-sufficiency and reach and maintain their maximum potential.
“The Launcher Entrepreneurship Program at West End Neighborhood House provides the critical support entrepreneurs need to pursue their dreams of becoming small business owners,” said Nancy Parnella, director of business cards, Barclays. “Barclays is proud to support our community and provide business owners of all sizes the resources they need to succeed.”
The Launcher entrepreneurs attending the fair will showcase their products and services and participate in a pitch competition evaluated by Barclays executives and the director of Delaware Division of Small Business, Damian DeStefano. The top three entrepreneurs will each receive $1,000 to invest in their business along with additional coaching or mentorship from Barclays colleagues.
Barclays employees who have their own business also will have the opportunity to showcase their endeavors at the small business fair. Colleagues who are not participating can still visit the fair to purchase goods and services and learn more about the exhibiting businesses.
“Through the Launcher Entrepreneurship Program and other initiatives, Barclays is providing vital support that helps nurture and grow small businesses in the Delaware area,” DeStefano said. “Small businesses are a huge economic driver to our community. They revitalize our neighborhoods and grow our local economy, and these resources are incredibly valuable to help them thrive.”
Paul Calistro, executive director of West End Neighborhood House, said through support from Barclays, the Launcher program has trained 197 entrepreneurs and helped create or sustain 199 jobs.
“I have watched this program dramatically improve families’ lives and transform local economies,” Calistro said. “Whether in Dover, Claymont or Wilmington, these businesses are reinvesting locally to further improve their communities. Angel Cabrera, a Launcher graduate with 60 employees, is a perfect example of the enormous impact just one small business can have on the local economy.”
Barclays also supported Stepping Stones Community Federal Credit Union, Wilmington.
In 2016, Barclays’ colleagues helped Stepping Stones develop a marketing strategy that would boost their membership. As part of this, Barclays designed an innovative concept called “Bank in a Box”, a van fitted with a teller window and equipment that allows Stepping Stones to open accounts and issue ATM cards to new members on the spot.
In its first year, the marketing effort was able to increase membership in the Credit Union.
Kubik wins Hometown Hero award
Christine Kubik is the recipient of the 2019 Waste Masters Solutions Hometown Hero Service Award. Kubik will be honored during pre-race ceremonies before the “Gander RV 400” Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and was presented with a $1,000 check which will go to the charity of her choice.
Kubik, the director of joint support and outreach services for the Delaware National Guard, is a volunteer board member for the Delaware National Guard’s Youth Foundation. The nonprofit has the mission of developing discipline, character and resilience in children of Delaware National Guard members through prevention programs, education and activities that enhance and build young leaders within the
In three years, Kubik’s work has led to more than $120,000 raised to support programs
Kubik, a Middletown native, first engaged with the military through the Delaware National Guard, when her brother Adam deployed to Iraq in 2003. Kubik started working for the Guard in various capacities beginning in 2008.
Kubik also leads Delaware Joining Forces, a network of state agencies and external service providers who proactively work together to provide solutions that improve the quality of life and welfare of the statewide military and veteran community.
Students get WSFS stock
WSFS Financial Corporation, parent company of WSFS Bank, welcomed 30 local students as WSFS Owners to its 2019 Annual Meeting of stockholders after the Company granted them each five shares of common stock as part of a minority youth program to teach financial literacy, financial planning, the benefits and responsibilities of being shareholders of a public company, and to help create paths for upward mobility.
“As the premier, largest and longest-standing community bank in and servicing the Greater Delaware Valley, we accept and welcome the responsibility to help improve the communities we serve. This is why we are thrilled to welcome 30 local students as WSFS Owners who were granted five shares each of WSFS stock. Through this program, we hope it provides the students with the real-life experience of being owners of our public Company, and the responsibilities and long-term benefits of ownership,” said Rodger Levenson, CEO, WSFS Bank.
WSFS partnered with the Youth Shareholder Initiative to grant the 150 shares of WSFS common stock to the local students. The Youth Shareholder Initiative was founded by La Mar T. Gunn Sr., CEO and Chairman of Dover, Del.-based Gunn Wealth Management, with the assistance and support of Seaford School Board Member Jeffrey T. Benson, Jr., and the City of Wilmington Treasurer Velda Jones-Potter. The three local leaders selected the young recipients of the WSFS shares and who are now WSFS owners.
Jewish Federation gets high nonprofit ratings
Jewish Federation of Delaware has earned the highest ratings from the top three evaluators of nonprofits; a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar and a Top-Rated Award from GreatNonprofits. The Jewish Federation is currently the only nonprofit in Delaware to earn the highest ratings from all three industry evaluators.
The federation received its fourth consecutive Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, You can also review the federation’s profile page here:
GuideStar is the largest source of nonprofit information, connecting people and organizations with information on more than 1.8 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. Federation has earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency since 2017.
You can review the federation’s profile here:
GreatNonprofits, a developer of tools that allow people to find, review, and share information about nonprofits and charities, announced the Jewish Federation has earned the Top-Rated Award since 2012. The federation’s profile page is available here:
“Jewish Federation is currently the only nonprofit in Delaware to receive the highest ratings from all three nonprofit industry evaluators,” stated Seth J. Katzen, Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Delaware. “This recognition validates our financial health as well as our ongoing commitment to accountability and transparency.”
