Los Angeles Rams and the American Red Cross join Wells Fargo on its iconic stagecoaches to celebrate the New Year
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) was joined by Rams alumni Jackie
Slater and Vince Ferragamo and the Los Angeles American Red Cross in its
appearance at the 128th Rose Parade® presented by Honda. The
organizations came together to thank members of the military and their
families for their devoted service to our country. Additionally, the
local American Red Cross’ various programs including “Holidays
for Heroes” were recognized. This program enables the public to send
notes of support and gratitude to service members, veterans and their
families during the holiday season.
Veterans Army Major Lynette Jones, Sergeant First Class Jay Hong and
Sergeant Oliver Campbell, Jr., joined the 2017 Rose Parade as Wells
Fargo’s special guests. Major Jones served tours of duty in Iraq, Kuwait
and Afghanistan. Jones has benefited from the supportive services the
American Red Cross provides to members of the military, including the
“Holidays for Heroes” program. Upon her return to California, Jones was
recognized as the Veteran of the Year for the 51st District.
At present time, Major Jones is an active reserve officer and hosts her
own radio show in Southern California which aids female veterans during
their transition from military to civilian life.
During his career in banking, Jay Hong served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Hong was deployed twice to Iraq. His first tour was in Operation Iraqi
Freedom and then again in 2007 for Operation Enduring Freedom. Hong
retired from the Army after 26 years of honorable service with numerous
awards. Currently, Hong serves as a Senior Relations Manager for the
Greater Los Angeles area at Wells Fargo. Hong is active in his local
community serving on the Los Angeles Region of the American Red Cross
board.
A native of San Marino, Sergeant Oliver Campbell, Jr. enlisted into the
Army after high school and was accepted into the elite 75th
Ranger Regiment. While serving on his fifth and final deployment to
Afghanistan, he was ambushed during a night raid. He was shot five
times, but walked to the MEDEVAC helicopter that transported him to
receive medical care. Sergeant Campbell recently returned home upon his
honorable medical discharge and was a recipient of the Purple Heart. He
plans to pursue medical school so he can pay it forward and support
other service members.
“It was such an honor to ride in the Wells Fargo stagecoach with Major
Jones, as well as my father in the Rose Parade,” said Sergeant Campbell,
whose father is a senior investment strategist for Wells Fargo. “I am
thankful to Wells Fargo, the LA Rams and the Red Cross for showcasing
veterans and members of the military and thanking them for all of the
sacrifices they make.”
Wells Fargo has helped military members and veterans succeed financially
for more than 160 years. In the past four years, Wells Fargo has donated
$70 million in support of military service members, veterans and their
families through housing initiatives, career transition, financial
education, foundation donations and event sponsorship. Specifically,
Wells Fargo has donated more than $20 million to military- and
veteran-related nonprofits, hired more than 6,300 veterans and donated
more than 300 homes, valued at over $50 million, to veterans in all 50
states. Since 1999, Wells Fargo has given more than $1.8 million to the
American Red Cross chapters across greater Los Angeles to support a
number of initiatives, including disaster preparedness and response.
“We’ve always tried to use our Rose Parade appearance to call attention
to a cause important to our company and team members,” said Jay Hong,
Sergeant First Class U.S. Army Retired, Wells Fargo team member and Los
Angeles Red Cross board member. “What an amazing opportunity to thank
members of the armed forces and have two true American heroes join Wells
Fargo, the Los Angeles Rams and the Red Cross along the parade route.”
As part of its dedication to supporting military members, the Rams have
supported the Red Cross Holidays for Heroes program since 2012. This has
resulted in more than 80,000 personalized holiday thank you cards being
sent to active and veteran military serving overseas and domestically.
In November, Wells Fargo’s Los Angeles team members joined LA Rams
players including Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers at two Los Angeles
elementary schools. They aided students in writing holiday cards that
were sent to service members overseas this holiday season. Additionally,
in appreciation of the military’s service to our country, each year the
Rams invite military members and veterans to attend a private practice
around Veterans Day. After practice, the entire team signs autographs
and poses for photos with those in attendance.
“It was truly wonderful to join Wells Fargo to salute our service
members at the Rose Parade,” said Rams Legend Jackie Slater. “Vince and
I had a great time today, and appreciate the opportunity to thank our
real heroes, the military members, veterans and their families for
working to keep us safe.”
Wells Fargo’s appearance in the 2017 Rose Parade included three of its
iconic horse-drawn stagecoaches. In the opening equestrian unit, Slater
and Ferragamo, were accompanied by Wells Fargo team members honored as
part of the LA Rams 2016 Community Player of the Week program. This
program highlighted Rams players and Wells Fargo team members for their
contributions to the Los Angeles community.
The third Wells Fargo stagecoach appeared as part of the Rose Parade
closing show featuring Sergeant Campbell, Major Jones and Jay Hong who
rode along with more than a dozen Wells Fargo veteran team members and
American Red Cross walkers. Finally, the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and
Bugle Corp delivered a patriotic performance to complete Wells Fargo’s
tribute to service members, veterans and their families.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based
financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852
and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking,
insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance
through more than 8,600 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet
(wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and
territories to support customers who conduct business in the global
economy. With approximately team members, Wells Fargo serves one in
three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked
No. 27 on Fortune’s 2016 rankings of America’s largest corporations.
Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and
help them succeed financially. News, insights and perspectives from
Wells Fargo are also available at Wells
Fargo Stories.
About the Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams – Los Angeles’ original professional sports team –
stand as one of the oldest franchises in the National Football League
and since its founding in 1937, have garnered three World Championships
and sent 29 of its members to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a
professional sports team, the organization is committed to being a
valuable civic partner and serving the greater Los Angeles area 365 days
a year. For more information visit www.therams.com
and follow the Rams on Facebook and Twitter, @RamsNFL.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to
victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood;
teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid;
and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a
not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the
generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more
information, please visit redcrossla.org or cruzrojaLA.org, or visit us
on Twitter at @RedCrossLA.
About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses®
The Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that annually hosts
America’s New Year Celebration® with the Rose Parade® presented by
Honda, the Rose Bowl Game® presented by Northwestern Mutual and a
variety of accompanying events. 935 volunteer members of the association
will drive the success of 128th Rose Parade themed “Echoes of Success,”
on Monday, January 2, 2017, followed by the 103rd Rose Bowl Game. For
more information, visit www.tournamentofroses.com.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and
visit our blog at blog.tournamentofroses.com.
