LOS ANGELES July 06, 2023 — The Wells Fargo Foundation is increasing its investment in the veteran-led humanitarian organization, Team Rubicon, with a $1 million grant to assist communities before, during, and after disasters.
Team Rubicon focuses on three areas of impact: disaster services – from mitigation to immediate response, rebuild services – rebuilding safe and resilient homes, and international services – providing medical aid and assistance to people around the world.
This funding supports Team Rubicon’s Ready Reserve, a fund comprised of corporate, foundation, and individual donors, enabling readiness and powering responses before, during, and after a disaster strikes.
As hurricane season approaches, Team Rubicon and Wells Fargo are set to support the unique needs facing disaster-impacted communities. With Team Rubicon’s veteran-led volunteer base, local Greyshirt volunteers can provide communities with the full spectrum of disaster services.
Ready Reserve fuels Team Rubicon’s no-cost services for vulnerable communities – including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts – ensuring equitable aid reaches those most in need throughout the disaster cycle.
Through Wells Fargo’s $1 million grant, Team Rubicon’s local volunteers will provide vulnerable communities with the resources, services, and training needed in order to prepare, respond, rebuild, and recover from disasters, regardless of the level of media attention.
“All disasters are local, affecting small or rural communities. Even large disasters can quickly get overshadowed by other news events, with the disaster and community forgotten,” said Jeff Byard, Vice President of Operations for Team Rubicon. “Ready Reserve enables Team Rubicon to immediately respond to these Low Attention Disasters, without the need to wait for funding, allowing communities to quickly get back on the road to recovery.”
“We are extremely grateful for this continued investment from Wells Fargo allowing Team Rubicon to be ready to assist more communities,” said Art delaCruz, CEO of Team Rubicon. “Their commitment enables us to partner with local agencies before disasters strike with mitigation and respond to impacted areas that do not make the headlines.”
In addition to the monetary investment, the Foundation is also adding a Ford truck to the existing fleet of three donated vehicles from Wells Fargo, fueling the mission across the United States.
“Team Rubicon knows how to mobilize quickly when a community is going through hardship,” said Otis Rolley, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation. “Wells Fargo is grateful for Team Rubicon’s leadership in disaster response as well as for the deeply skilled and passionate volunteers who generously give their time.”
Team Rubicon’s highly skilled volunteer force of 160,000, consisting of veterans, first responders and civilians, helps communities stabilize and recover. In 2023, Team Rubicon Greyshirts have already served communities across the country, including Selma, Alabama, San Bernadino, California, Detroit, Michigan, and Amory, Mississippi. The organization’s infrastructure, supported by cutting-edge technology solutions, enables volunteers to efficiently and effectively respond to disasters to help families return to their homes as soon as possible.
Visit http://www.teamrubiconusa.org to volunteer, donate, and find more information.
About Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. Founded following the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the organization has grown to more than 150,000 volunteers across the United States and has launched over 1,100 operations domestically and internationally. To drive equity across disaster and humanitarian services, Team Rubicon focuses on three areas of impact: disaster services- from mitigation to immediate response to recovery; rebuild services- maintaining the fabric of communities through resilient building methods; and international services- providing emergent and surge medical services, WASH, and disaster risk reduction. Visit http://www.teamrubiconusa.org for more information.
Contact:
Devon Miller, Team Rubicon
http://teamrubiconusa.org
1 (310) 640-8787 Ext: 139
devon.miller@teamrubiconusa.org