Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.'s College Life to Corporate Life
(C2C) Partners with Wells Fargo
L to R: Desmund Adams,
national chairman of C2C; Darryl R. Matthews, Sr., 32nd general
president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; and, Mark Merkel,
president of Wells Fargo Financial Leasing Inc. Photo by Melvin Adams
Baltimore, MD (BlackNews.com) - The 102-year-old historic
national fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated is
launching a national internship program in partnership with Wells Fargo
Financial in an effort to provide career opportunities in financial
services for minority college men and women.
The partnership between the fraternity's College Life to Corporate
Life (C2C) -- "Champions of Change" internship program and Wells
Fargo Financial was announced at the annual Black & Gold Ball of the
Zeta Kappa Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated on
Saturday, February 16, 2008 in Des Moines, IA.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 32nd General President Darryl R.
Matthews, Sr. shared, "When I assumed this office my vision was to
provide our collegiate members with the tools and resources needed to
maximize their potential and rapidly ascend as leaders in their chosen
fields."
Alpha Member Desmund Adams, national chairman of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity Inc.'s College Life to Corporate Life (C2C) and chief
architect of the internship initiative stated, "We are pleased to have
Wells Fargo on board as the inaugural national corporate partner. We
believe their presence will inspire other corporations to join in --
providing a direct and substantial impact on the success of diverse
professionals. Many professional careers will be launched from this
solid foundation."
Wells Fargo Financial will provide up to 25 summer internships each
year to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. collegiate members as well as
other diverse women and men within participating markets. Initially the
program will launch in 14 Midwestern states where Wells Fargo Financial
has a presence.
"All of us at Wells Fargo Financial are proud of our continued work
in helping our great partners at Alpha Phi Alpha with their vision of
creating unlimited professional opportunities for minority women and
men", Mark Merkel stated. "It is our hope that this program will help
individuals bridge the gap from career opportunities to career success
in corporate America."
The program, designed to be replicated through other chapters of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. across the U.S., will begin with an
initial five year commitment running through the end of 2012.
The internship program on which the national launch is modeled was
created by the Zeta Kappa Lambda Alumni chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Inc. in Des Moines, IA. It began as a local initiative
between Zeta Kappa Lambda and Wells Fargo Leasing in Des Moines in the
summer of 2006 with participating companies Iowa Health Systems and
Equitrust joining Wells Fargo Financial. After much success it was
determined that this effort should go national.
In 2008 the national office of Alpha and local sponsor Wells Fargo
Financial committed the necessary resources to launch it nationally,
whereby creating unlimited professional opportunities for minority women
and men from across the U.S. The goal from inception continues to be to
help bridge the gap in corporate development and career opportunities
within corporate America. This internship provides that bridge.
Founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New
York, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has continued to supply
voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of
color around the world. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront
of the African-American community's fight for civil rights, through
Alpha men such as Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood
Marshall, Andrew Young, and Cornel West. among others that include
members of the 110th Congress including: Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO),
Charles B. Rangel (NY), Danny K. Davis (IL), Chaka Fattah (PA), Al Green
(TX), Gregory Meeks (NY), David Scott (GA), Robert C. Scott (VA). The
fraternity through its college and alumni chapters serves the community
through nearly a thousand chapters in the United States, Europe and the
Caribbean. To learn more visit
www.apa1906.net
Wells Fargo Financial, a unit of Wells Fargo & Company,
provides real estate-secured lending, automobile financing, consumer and
private-label credit cards and commercial services to consumers and
businesses. The company has $73 billion in assets, approximately 21,000
team members and operates in 48 states across the U.S., the 10 provinces
of Canada, Puerto Rico and the Pacific Rim. It is headquartered in Des
Moines, Iowa. More information about Wells Fargo Financial is available
at
www.wellsfargofinancial.com
