Giving CASA de Maryland a Place to Call Home

For immigrants with no family or contacts, it can be an extremely difficult and emotional time integrating into American society. In many cases, they don't even know how to take the first step toward finding a home, a job, or a community of peers. And with immigrants now accounting for 12% of the United States' population, representing the highest percentage in eight decades, critical services and resources are necessary to aid these individuals and help show them that the American Dream is truly within reach.

CASA de Maryland is a nonprofit in the Washington, DC-area providing services for the immigrant community,

Despite strong involvement with the immigrant communities in the DC Metro area, CASA had no place it could call home – a place where it could house its organization and programs. When they were looking, they came across a run-down building in Langley Park that could be the perfect location.

"For the last 15 years, this facility was totally abandoned," said Gustavo Torres, Executive Director of CASA de Maryland. "The crime around this neighborhood was really bad. You would never see kids walking around here. We developed a plan to renovate this great facility, but the question was 'where is the money?'"

Bank of America identified $6 million in tax credits and

Every year, CASA helps place 18,000 jobs in the DC-community. This ultimately helps the community by finding more competitive, better-trained workers for employers. CASA not only helps immigrants get a job, but also helps them integrate into American society.

Together, Bank of America and CASA are providing opportunities for immigrants to make positive,

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

Giving DC Students the Learning Environment They Deserve

Washington, DC is a diverse city – both ethnically and socioeconomically. The laws of our country are debated by Ivy League–educated Members of Congress, just blocks from where low–income families struggle to put food on the table. For many of DC’s public school students, their parents didn’t have the opportunity or privilege to attend and graduate from college – and, frankly, it was never expected. Fortunately, there are programs in our Nation’s Capital that are changing that mindset and affording the students of tomorrow with opportunities to achieve their dreams, attend college, and build a better life for themselves.

In 2001, Susan Schaeffler, a teacher frustrated by the bureaucracy of the school system and determined to improve college readiness and access east of the Anacostia River, recruited 80 fifth graders to join her newly established KEY Academy, the first school in the education program known as KIPP DC.

KIPP stands for the Knowledge is Power Program – an idea that knowledge really gives someone the power to be successful in life. KIPP DC is a charter school that focuses on getting kids to and through college. One of the main features of the school is longer classroom times, allowing DC kids to learn more in that extra time and be prepared for the next step.

The success of the KEY Academy brought with it the demand for an environment that the students deserved. In 2008, as Schaeffler began her search for the proper building, there was lots of anxiety about lending, but Bank of America helped secure a $24 million loan.

“With that support we were able to fully renovate a building that was falling apart and now it has the ability to service 1500 students,” said Susan Schaeffler,

Founder & CEO of KIPP DC.

Now that KIPP DC has rehabilitated and preserved its largest campus, it can now grow its schools to capacity and enroll an additional 800 students by 2015. These students will have the benefit of a college preparatory curriculum that will likely improve their current performance — and their future prospects.

“It was really a natural fit for us to step in and assist KIPP in 2008,” said Brian Tracey, Manager of Community Development, Lending and Investment with Bank of America. “It’s really inspirational to see little kids talk about what they want to be when they grow up. That’s what brings it home for us at Bank of America.

We live here, we’re parents, we have kids. To help a school like KIPP DC, that’s very meaningful.”

“If we can educate a community well and provide the education our children deserve,” continued Schaeffler, “we can see a reduction in teen pregnancies, drug abuse and domestic violence. That is going to change the face of this community.”

Join the conversation: Learn how we’re working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

The Right Ingredients to Feed DC

If you want to feed the hungry in the District of Columbia, you need a lot of resources and perhaps even more resourcefulness. A recent study by the Food Research and Action Council showed that among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, DC ranked highest in food hardship for households with children. According to the study, over 37% of DC households with children admitted that there had been times in the last 12 months when they did not have enough money to buy food that the family needed.

Fortunately for the city’s hungry, the DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) has consistently shown remarkable ingenuity and dedication when it comes to gathering ingredients,

In order to meet the high demand for nutritious meals in the community, DCCK has expanded considerably over the last few years. Bank of America has worked closely with them to make sure that the kitchen has the resources it needs to feed the hungry and meet its growing payroll obligations.

When DCCK first started working with Bank of America

in 1999, CEO Mike Curtin estimates they had a full time staff of about 35-40 and very few accounts receivable. Bank of America provided a small, but critical line of credit to the organization to support its daily operations – serving as one of the many food kitchens to DC’s most needy residents.

Since then, DCCK has significantly expanded its efforts in the "social enterprise" arena through its Culinary Job Training program and "Fresh Start" catering and dining business. Through Fresh Start, graduates of DCCK’s job training program prepare breakfast, luncheons, and drop-off meals for area businesses and community events. What’s more, Fresh Start uses local, seasonable and sustainable foods to help support regional farms

In 1999, Curtin estimates that the social enterprise revenues were about $200,000. By 2010, that revenue had grown to approximately $4 million. The Kitchen now employs 120 full-time workers and it is not unusual to have over $300,000 in receivables outstanding. Today, the credit line now stands at almost $1M to make sure that DCCK never lets its employees down while waiting for payment from its customers.

That financing has also allowed DCCK to take on more catering work. In the last year, they have entered into a contract with DC Public Schools to provide meals for students. Matthew Agresti, a Senior Vice President at

"The contractor needs to staff up and meet the terms of the contract pretty quickly, but it can take a while for the government payment process to compensate them. The bank’s investment in the Kitchen provides it with the flexibility to take on the new work, and they’ve never let us down when it comes to paying us back on time."

But most importantly, DC residents – including DC students – are now receiving nutritious, locally-sourced meals that help to keep them full and focused in the classroom.

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

Keeping Customers Cool in DC

There are few terms that more aptly describe July in Washington, DC-area than “sweltering.” Anyone who lives and works in the nation’s capital knows that July represents high temperatures, high humidity and an average heat index that would leave anyone longing for a cold January day. Washingtonians employ many tactics to beat the heat, but none are quite as effective as ice cream, and, in July, demand is very high.

Guy Berliner founded Berliner Specialty Distributors (BSD) along with his brother in 1973 and pioneered the introduction of gourmet ice creams, specialty and natural frozen foods throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. The company is situated on four acres in Hyattsville,

In May 2011, Guy learned from one of his suppliers that a significant price increase was scheduled for July 3, right in the middle of his peak season. ”We had just gone through a price increase in April, and I knew my customers would not be happy with another increase so quickly, and at the busiest time of year for ice cream.”

Guy contacted Doreen Hommet, the Senior Vice President at Bank of America who manages the relationship with BSD. Together they worked out

Other banks talk to Guy, but he politely tells them no thanks. “They’ll come in, and we’ll talk and I’ll give them some ice cream when they leave. But we believe in

In 1988, BSD picked up regional distribution rights for Good Humor ice cream with the help of financing from Bank of America. At that time, the company made a little over $2 million a year and employed about a dozen people at the height of its busy season. The business grew throughout the ‘90s, using loans to add thousands of square feet of frozen storage space at its Hyattsville warehouse. These days, if you live in the DC area and you enjoy brand-name ice cream, there’s a good chance that BSD helped to get it from the manufacturer to your table. In 2011, Berliner employs over 100 workers at the height of the summer and expects to generate $20 million in revenues.

Many things have changed since the Berliners opened for business in 1973, but after almost 40 years of delivering ice cream to retailers and vendors throughout the DC area and beyond, BSD has never changed banks.

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

Kid-to-kid mentoring

Abe Jacobson, a 12-year-old volunteer at LBH, is one such kid. Abe has been able to relate to and help LBH kids who come from abandoned, drug-ridden homes.

“You know it’s one of those intangible, indescribable kid-to-kid, peer-to-peer kind of things,” said Carl Foster, LBH board vice president and CEO. “He speaks their

Founded in 1991, LBH works with children and families to end the cycle of poverty and the dependence of families on government welfare. LBH’s youth programs focus on making sure children are ready for school, able to invest in trusting relationships and able to articulate thoughts and feelings about their environment in order to understand and choose positive influences.

Foster noted that Abe’s skills for relating to troubled youth came with little effort. The first day he came to LBH with his parents, Abe started playing with the kids, without hesitation. Foster said it demonstrated a sense

On a typical day, Abe said he will come to LBH just to play, but Foster believes it is much more than that. Abe is often asked to work with the most challenging children in the program.

“When kids are hyperactive and not listening, those are the ones that we give to Abe. He plays well. He communicates to them. They like him,” Foster said.

While most students Abe’s age are focused on themselves, Abe said he really enjoys coming to the organization to help others with homework or just play around. “It’s the highlight of my week,” he said. “All the

For his work at LBH and the positive impact he is having on young people in the D.C. community, Abe was recently recognized as a Local Hero by Bank of America. Abe is one of hundreds of individuals and organizations across the country last year who received the award as part of Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

“We nominated him because we wanted to say, ‘thank you,’” Foster said. “Hopefully, he’ll feel proud and happy. And that’s what we want for him.”

See more about Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

Ethiopian inspiration

Hermela Hailemeskel was exposed to a great deal of poverty growing up in Ethiopia. That experience inspired her to volunteer for various organizations in the Washington, D.C. area and work to increase participation in community service among her high school classmates.

“In Ethiopia, even though I lived in a good neighborhood, there are still people that are poor,” Hailemeskel said. “Every day I would walk and I’d see a poor person begging for food. It took so much out of me.”

In addition to her childhood experience, Hailemeskel gets her motivation for work from her father. “He’s worked hard to get to where he is in life,” she said.

Based on her leadership and service, Hailemeskel was honored with a Student Leader award from Bank of America, one of hundreds of individuals and organizations across the country last year who received an award as part of the bank’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

Work Experience
For her internship, provided through Bank of America’s award, Hailemeskel spent the summer working for the YMCA’s national corporate office. “I got to meet and

Where others may have been deterred by the demands of a nonprofit job, Hailemeskel’s experience only confirmed her desire to enter into the field of nonprofit management. “I can never thank Bank of America enough for selecting me,” she said. “If I didn’t get the award and I didn’t work for YMCA over the summer, then I would still be sitting here saying, ‘Ah! I don’t know what I want to be.’”

Hailemeskel was delighted to find so many kindred spirits among the student leaders at the bank’s Leadership Summit. “We all have the same goal,” she said. “But we all have a different journey, a different direction to get to that goal. I met so many people that I had so much in common with, and I’m actually friends with most of them now.”

With the internship and the summit under her belt, Hailemeskel has major goals for herself and her fellow honorees. “All the student leaders I know—some day—we’re going to run this world,” she said.

See more about Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

Bank of America’s “Art in Our Communities” is the source for a new exhibit of women photographers

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) and Bank of America are showcasing a significant collection of photography by women in the exhibition Eye Wonder: Photographs from the Bank of America Collection. The show features more than 100 photographs taken between 1865 and 2004 and demonstrates the varied and significant contributions women have made to the medium. The exhibit runs until May 22, 2011.

Eye Wonder comes to the NMWA through Art in our Communities, a Bank of America program that turns the bank’s corporate art collection into a resource for regional museums. Art in our Communities (AIOC) provides museums and non-profit galleries with complete exhibitions at no cost, and offers the support necessary to mount them. The result is a collaborative effort that engages community partners and generates vital revenue for local museums.

While many AIOC exhibitions are fully curated by Bank of America, Eye Wonder takes advantage of the perspective and expertise brought to bear by NMWA, the only museum dedicated exclusively to celebrating the

achievements of women in the visual, performing and literary arts. NMWA curators were invited to review the bank’s collection of international art by women and organize an exhibition for museum visitors. “Bank of America’s collection is particularly deep in the field of photography, a medium in which women have had a profound impact since its inception. Through this unique program we are able to bring together and share with the public works by some of the of the best women photographers,” said NMWA Director Susan Fisher Sterling.

With works ranging from the historical to the contemporary, Eye Wonder includes landscape, urban life, portraiture, and still life genres. In the exhibit,

American documentary photographers of the early 20th century, including Margaret Bourke-White and Dorothea Lange, play against contemporary works by Terry Evans and Graciela Iturbide. Other artists featured in the exhibition include Berenice Abbott, Ilse Bing, Linda Connor, Barbara Crane, Candida Höfer, Gertrude Käsebeir, Vera Lutter and Barbara Morgan.

As the name suggests, the goal of Art in our Communities goes beyond simply touring art from the Bank of America Collection. AIOC exhibitions often serve as a catalyst for school and community events, creating opportunities for education, conversation and connection. In the case of Eye Wonder, local DC artist

and museum educator Rachel Goldberg is leading a series of free, hands-on workshops inspired by the exhibit.

“Bank of America is dedicated to strengthening artistic institutions and, in turn, the surrounding communities we serve,” said Bill Couper, Mid-Atlantic president, Bank of America. “Sharing our art collection with the public through partners such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts brings world-class cultural experiences to the residents and visitors of Greater Washington, and provides important support to institutions that contribute to the local economy.” By the end of this year, AIOC will have loaned more than 50 exhibitions to museums worldwide.

Neighborhood Excellence Initiative^® supports those helping D.C. residents access affordable housing

Jubilee Housing has provided affordable rental housing for thousands of residents in the nation's capital since 1973. In recent years, Jubilee has undergone a redevelopment campaign to renovate aging housing stock and preserve it for another generation; a total of 145 units that are home to nearly 500 people have been fully renovated and re-occupied. Jubilee Housing also provides integrated program support for early childhood development, youth services and adult education.

Since 2000, the Primary Care Coalition has led the development of Montgomery Cares with an alliance of county government, community clinics, hospitals, community-based organizations, private practitioners and foundations. As a result, primary and preventive care is being provided to approximately 30,000 vulnerable, ethnically diverse adults annually. In the past five years, the number of patients being served has increased 150% and the number of clinics participating has tripled.

Jubilee Housing and the Primary Care Coalition have been awarded $200,000 each by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to help continue their work in the

Greater DC area. In addition to financial support, the award provides the executive director and an emerging leader from each nonprofit with strategic leadership training to help them develop further as leaders taking on tough community challenges.

The grants are part of the Foundation’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative^®, which operates in 44 cities in the U.S, as well as London.

The awards are part of ongoing effort by Bank of America to stimulate economic vitality in Greater DC and communities across the nation, said William Couper, Greater DC Market President for Bank of America. He said that the latest announcement brought the bank’s total commitment to Greater DC through the

Neighborhood Excellence Initiative^® to $3.15 million since 2004.

Additional honorees: The Foundation also selected five “Local Heroes” for their community service work: Michael Gould, of Washington, D.C., Abraham Jacobson, of Washington, D.C.; Rhea McVicker, of Beltsville, MD; Joy Paul, of Rockville, MD; and Gail Wood, of Frederick, MD. Each is able to designate a $5,000 charitable grant from the Foundation to the eligible non-profit of his or her choice.

Five exemplary teens were named “Student Leaders^®” and selected to receive a paid eight week internship at a

DC-area non-profit. They were Rodney Beeks-Warren, a Washington, D.C. resident and recent graduate of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and freshman at St. Paul’s College; Hermela Hailemeskel, a Rockville resident, recent graduate of Wheaton High School and freshman at the University of Maryland; Jun Hyuck, an Alexandria resident and senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology; Jazzlyn Lindsey, a Woodbridge resident, recent graduate of Garfield High School and freshman at Lynn University; and Wendy Mao, a Silver Spring resident, recent graduate of Montgomery Blair High School and freshman at the University of Maryland.

Greater DC Global Commercial Bank associate Patty Brooks Nobles was selected as the recipient of the 2010

Volunteer Services Award. She is a current board member of Jr. Achievement of the Capital Area, and is a past board member of Greater Washington Urban League and YWCA National Capital Area.

An entrepreneur's vision anchors new U Street Corridor redevelopment project

Fifteen years ago, entrepreneur David von Storch saw a great opportunity in a run-down industrial building located at 1612 U Street NW. The tan brick building, which had had housed the E.B. Adams Company, a restaurant supply company built in 1921, was up for sale. But von Storch, who oversaw a small empire of brewpubs, salons and fitness centers, had already done his “on the ground” research. His method was simple: he walked the DC neighborhoods, talking to and signs of a nightlife scene. In the U Street Corridor,

residents and noting changing demographics, new restaurants,he saw the beginnings of a migration of young professionals and thought the time was ripe for a gathering place that would combine a high-end health

club, upscale restaurant, café, hair salon and spa. Says von Storch, who comes from a family of architects, “I don’t have the luxury of a research department turning out demographic data. But even then I could see that this neighborhood, located between Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle, had a lot of potential.”

So, in 1995, von Storch signed a lease-to-own agreement on the four-story, 41,000-square-foot building , drawing up plans for what would ultimately become the headquarters of his Urban Adventures of Washington business empire—as well as a gathering place for the neighborhood, including 10,000 square feet of community-owned businesses. And in 2004, he started working with Bank of America to finance the

renovation of the building and re-mortgage the property.

Von Storch has a track record when it comes to recognizing emerging neighborhoods. In 1987, his first project was the Dakota Nightclub in the Adams Morgan section of Washington. And his three-restaurant Capital City Brewing Company operation started with a first brewpub located in a rejuvenating downtown and a second in the historic Postal Square Building in the Capitol Hill area. (A third is in Shirlington, Virginia.)

Construction on the U Street building started in August 2010 and will continue until the complex opens in August 2011 with his flagship fitness center - including a rooftop

pool with a panoramic view, a salon and a restaurant. Since von Storch’s epiphany in 1995, the U Street corridor has become a draw, with a new Metro stop, new galleries, shops, cafes and clubs—and rising real estate prices. The neighborhood that was the birthplace of Duke Ellington has again become vibrant.

Matthew Agresti, Senior Vice President at Bank of America Merrill Lynch has been von Storch’s business banker for six years and has seen the U Street project through the funding and construction phases. He says, “David sees us not just as his banker but also as a true partner in his enterprise. He appreciates that we have put together a team to work with him, to advocate for his business, and that we are available in a broader,

more consultative role.”

Though he tools around town in a little Smart Car, von Storch thinks big. Other ventures already in the works include a new upscale establishment at 901 Ninth Street, two new VIDA fitness centers at City Vista and the Navy Yard, and a fourth Capital City Brewing Company. He’s even got a reality show in the works.

Von Storch is upbeat about the fact that his various businesses are helping spur the economy at the most local level. He says, “We’ve found that the other retailers on the street are pleased that we are bringing people to the area to work out—and then go out. Overall, we employ about 1500 people, and we

expect to employ another 100 to 200 at our U Street location. We think we’re doing our part to create a truly great urban neighborhood.”

A multi-faceted relationship with Howard University supports academics, health care and culture in the D.C. community

With its main campus located just two miles from the U.S. Capital, Howard University is in an advantageous location for an academic institution that seeks to address a range of national and global issues. Founded in 1867, Howard is one of the country’s leading private universities, home to 12 schools and colleges. The preeminent black university, it has produced a high percentage of the nation’s black professionals in medicine, dentistry,pharmacy, engineering, nursing,

architecture, religion, law, fine arts, social work and education. Today, it provides a first-rate education for approximately 7500 undergraduates and 3600 graduate and professional students.

Known for its strong academics, Howard has a particular

emphasis on research. It is also culturally diverse, with students coming from across the U.S. and from more than 100 countries to attend. Howard has something else that sets it apart: as a federally-chartered land grant institution, it receives a federal appropriation that enables the university to offer an education to its students at a lower cost than similar schools, ensuring access to students of high academic standard and potential. For example, in the 2010-2011 academic year, the tuition was an affordable $17,905, well below tuition for other schools in its category.

The main campus of Howard has grown from a single frame building to more than 89 acres, including a

six-story, 500-bed Howard University Hospital. Originally it was called Freedmen’s Hospital and provided medical care for ex-slaves. Today, it is a teaching hospital offering opportunities in clinical research and patient care.

For many years, Bank of America has had a multi-faceted relationship with Howard University. As the official bank of the university, Bank of America handles the university’s bank accounts, as well as banking for students and employees. There are several ATMs dotting the campus and at the hospital. In addition, the bank offers financial literacy programs to the Howard community.

Bank of America also supports the arts and culture on campus. For example, the Howard University Gallery of Art recently hosted an exhibit from the Bank of America “Arts in the Communities” program. Titled "Mixing Metaphors," it showcased a significant collection of African-American art from the Bank of America collection. The exhibit provided students, faculty and local residents access to a world-class exhibit that enhances the cultural vibrancy of the campus and the surrounding community.

The university has a clearly articulated vision for the years ahead. Howard University President Sidney Ribeau is committed to maintaining a financially and environmentally sustainable environment, as well as

helping improve the quality of life for underserved communities and formulating national policies of relevance to African-Americans. According to President Ribeau, “We expect to build on our legacy of service and excellence as we work to increase funding for the university, expand internationally, enhance our research programs and develop strong leaders in business, politics and other professions. We look forward to continuing to work with Bank of America to strengthen our financial position. It has been an enduring and productive relationship and we have benefited from the bank’s expertise.”

Creating a destination theatre: D.C.'s Harman Center for the Arts

Located in Penn Quarter, Washington D.C.’s fastest growing business and entertainment district, Shakespeare Theater Company’s Harman Center for the Arts is a performing arts complex comprising the existing Landsburgh Theater and the new 775-seat Sidney Harman Hall. The development of the Harman Arts Center met a longstanding need for mid-sized, high-quality venues in Washington. Through a $500 million charitable grant as a capital gift to support construction, and innovative construction financing from our Healthcare and Institutions Group, Bank of America played a critical role in making the project happen.

Because when you’re giving, lending, and investing in more communities across the country, more opportunities happen.