“This is the time to innovate . . . .”
Reynolds Receives $250,000 Grant from Truist
The J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation received a $250,000 grant from Truist Financial Corporation to open the doors of The Kitchens at Reynolds, providing workforce training at a pivotal time for the Richmond area. The grant comes through Truist Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund at The Winston-Salem Foundation, and Truist Foundation.
“This is the time to innovate and commit to an equitable economic recovery,” said Reynolds President Dr. Paula Pando. “This gift from Truist Foundation is incredibly generous and perfectly timed. We know we can no longer wait to catalyze economic development and facilitate family-sustaining wages, especially for communities that have been underserved or never served. Reynolds is incredibly fortunate to have Truist as a partner in this work.” The Kitchens at Reynolds is among the new community resources located at 25th and Nine Mile Road. While it houses the college’s culinary, hospitality, and entrepreneurship programs, it also provides families in and around Church Hill with enrollment support to access the dozens of workforce and academic programs offered by Reynolds.
“One of the reasons we chose to support this project is its ability to transform through a partnership with the community,” said Dan O’Neill, Virginia East regional president at Truist. “We’re committed to Truist’s purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Reynolds Community College has a vast toolbox to help individuals create the futures they see for themselves, their families, and neighborhoods.”
With many Richmond's East End families devastated by COVID-19 and their loss of jobs and wages, an already-high rate of poverty is expected to climb. Truist’s support is helping workers reskill and upskill to land jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage. “We’re in this work to help students reach their goals,” said Bess Littlefield, executive director of the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation.
“In fact, Truist helped us with our own. With the bank’s gift, we met our fundraising goal of $10 million to open the doors of The Kitchens at Reynolds. We’re so grateful to Truist and all of the public and private partners who made this happen for our college and our community,” said Ms. Littlefield.
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About Reynolds
Serving over 13,000 students annually, Reynolds Community College is the youngest and third-largest of 23 community colleges in Virginia. Reynolds operates three campuses serving residents in the City of Richmond and the counties of Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan and Louisa. Learn more at www.reynolds.edu.
About Truist Charitable Fund
The Truist Charitable Fund is a donor-advised fund created by Truist and administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation.
About Truist Foundation
The Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality of life. The Truist Foundation’s grants and activities focus on leadership development, economic mobility, thriving communities and educational equity. Learn more at www.truist.com/truist-foundation.
