From Wells Fargo

United South End Settlements (USES), a 126-year-old nonprofit organization serving families in the South End and surrounding communities, announced in July it was awarded a $15,000 grant from Wells Fargo to support its early childhood STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education program.

Through its charitable giving programs, Wells Fargo embraces its responsibility to be a leading corporate citizen and the opportunity to create more resilient, sustainable communities through its operations and actions. Wells Fargo focuses its giving on community development, health and human services and educational programs that create lasting change and address the challenges facing the cities and towns where its customers and team members live and work.

USES's accredited Early Childhood Education program serves 64 children ages 3 months to 5- years-old, focusing on readying children for school by promoting learning and building cognitive, motor, and social emotional skills. Its STEAM curriculum introduces and reinforces concepts such as curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving; it also helps with language and motor development.
"We are incredibly grateful for Wells Fargo's support of our STEAM initiative. This approach to learning through an arts lens helps develop critical-thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills, laying the foundation for children in our programs to thrive in the classroom," said USES President and CEO Maichairia Weir Lytle.

"Wells Fargo has a rich history of community support in Massachusetts and we have personal connections to the people in our communities," said Briana Curran, vice president, communications and community relations, Wells Fargo New England. "United South End Settlements provides critical services to Boston's youth, serving as an outlet for our city's children to learn, thrive and become successful adults in a safe, enrichment environment."
United South End Settlements (USES) offers programs that holistically support families in achieving economic mobility. USES helps parents and caregivers develop their own capacity to reach their goals, increase their income and assets, and connect with new networks of people through one-on-one coaching and a workforce development program which prepares participants for administrative work as a first step on a career pathway.

For children and youth, USES provides quality education and enrichment opportunities that foster personal development and social-emotional skills such as perseverance, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Each summer, USES' Camp Hale serves over 225 boys and girls, ages 6-17 years, with the goal of improving their sense of well-being, social skills, and awareness of personal potential. USES believes that as families increase their income and assets, become more resilient and connect to a diverse network, they and their children are more likely to develop the necessary skills to disrupt the cycle of poverty. For more information about USES, please visit www.uses.org.