OREANDA-NEWS. The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Wells Fargo & Company today announced Mayors Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Mark Stodola of Little Rock, Ark., and Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento, Calif., have been recognized on behalf of nonprofits in their cities with top honors in the Conference’s 2015 CommunityWINS  grant program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Presented at the Conference’s 83rd annual meeting in San Francisco, the awards recognized nonprofits and cities for exemplary leadership in promoting neighborhood stabilization, economic development, and job creation efforts. Judges selected recipients of the Wells Fargo-funded grants from 162 applicants from small, medium and large cities.

Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said, “Our 2015 CommunityWINS grant program gives the Conference an opportunity to showcase positive change happening now in our cities that makes a positive difference in people’s lives. We are grateful to Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation for their support of the CommunityWINS grant program, which also highlights the talent and commitment of mayors and city governments.”

Top honors included:

  • Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was honored and \\\\$300,000 was awarded to Civic Works, Inc. for its work with Growing Green Tracks Team, which has addressed blight along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to improve the city’s image as seen by millions of train passengers.
  • Little Rock, Ark., Mayor Mark Stodola was honored and \\\\$150,000 was awarded to Arkansas Lighthouse for the Blind for its Employment for Individuals Who Are Blind – Inclement Weather Outer Layer (IWOL) project, which offers employment for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, and provides funding for training and machinery accommodations for the nonprofit’s clients.
  • West Sacramento, Calif., Mayor Christopher Cabaldon was honored and \\\\$150,000 was awarded to West Sacramento Foundation for its FutureReady program, which connects students studying engineering, science and technology to internship and job training opportunities.

Additional Outstanding Achievement awards were presented to: Newark, N.J., Mayor Ras Baraka with \\\\$75,000 awarded to Newark Community Economic Development Corporation; Green Bay, Wisc., Mayor Jim Schmitt with \\\\$50,000 awarded to NeighborWorks Green Bay; and Lima, Ohio, Mayor David Berger with \\\\$50,000 awarded to Lima-Allen County Neighborhoods in Partnership.

The grants were presented by Martin Sundquist, executive director, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. Wells Fargo’s support makes the CommunityWINS grant program possible.

”Wells Fargo is delighted to collaborate with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to make these grants available for nonprofits and enable them to make vital improvements in their cities,” said Sundquist.  “Wells Fargo cares about the communities we serve and we’re inspired by the tremendous interest in the inaugural CommunityWINS grant program that will add up to make a big difference in helping revitalize neighborhoods.”