Wells Fargo's Corporate (Community) Dividends

Since bringing its retail banking to the Atlanta market three years ago, Wells Fargo & Co. has sought to carve out a niche as a community bank in spite of being the nation's fourth-largest financial institution.

As part of that effort, the San Francisco-based bank looks to identify those organizations and groups that are dedicated to Atlanta's many neighborhoods and needs.

On Wednesday, the bank held its third-annual "Days of Giving" initiative at Trees Atlanta, which recognizes those groups and the work they do.

The bank has identified 234 such non-profit groups throughout Atlanta and will present each with a check for $1,000 in a series of five community breakfasts around metro Atlanta.

"Days of Giving" is an extension of the bank's philosophy of encouraging branch managers and employees to really be involved in the communities they serve, Mike Donnelly, Wells Fargo's Atlanta regional president told East Atlanta Patch.

The organizations picked were chosen at the branch level.

Separately, Wells Fargo said its Atlanta employees gave or pledged $937,000 in donations to the bank's United Way and Community Support campaign. The company, which is United Way's single largest corporate giver through employee campaigns nationwide, also is giving $600,000 to the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.

Here are the 14 organizations in East Atlanta Patch communities recognized on Wednesday:

• Atlanta Regional Arts and Culture Leadership Alliance
• Atlanta Women's Foundation
• Boys and Girls Clubs - Atlanta
• Catholic Charities - Atlanta
• Center for the Visually Impaired
• Citizen Advocacy of Atlanta and DeKalb
• East Lake Foundation
• Goodwill - Atlanta
• National Black Arts Festival
• Trinity Community Ministries
• YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta (1100 Edgewood Ave. NE)
• YMCA (55 Luckie St.)