During the week of May 15-21, Capital One Bank associates will band together as part of the company’s national associate volunteer initiative, “One Week,” to help meet the needs of local communities where associates live and work.  In the Washington, D.C., area, more than 400 Capital One Bank associates will spend 2,000 hours partnering with area non-profits to serve their communities through a variety of projects. As part of ‘One Week,’ Capital One Bank volunteers will complete READesign® Reading Corners at Ferebee-Hope Elementary and Ballou High School with The Heart of America Foundation to provide students with an inviting place to encourage a lifelong love of reading.   

Ferebee-Hope Community School will celebrate the grand opening of its new Reading Corner on May 19. Through a generous grant from Capital One Bank, The Heart of America Foundation® design team worked with the Ferebee-Hope Community School staff to transform a classroom adjacent to the school’s library into a vibrant reading area with age-appropriate reading material for students.  Approximately 75 Capital One Bank volunteers will work at both Ballou SHS and Ferebee-Hope over a two-day period to create the READesign® Reading Corners — from decorating and assembling furniture, to sorting and stocking books. In addition to the more than 200 books provided for each of the Reading Corners, including 100 financial literacy themed books, Capital One Bank will also donate books for students to take home to build their own home library.

In addition, Capital One Bank associates in the Washington, D.C. area will participate in 50 projects to address the needs of the community. Some of the other projects in the area include:

-Helping middle school students at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Prince George’s County and Francis Scott Key Middle School in Baltimore learn key money management skills in partnership with Operation Hope;
-Helping to construct an apartment building for low-to-moderate income families in Arlington with Habitat for Humanity;
-Presenting a one-day financial education course developed by Junior Achievement to students at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School in Montgomery County;
-Assisting Community Living Alternatives in Fairfax with conducting home inspections to identify needed repairs or improvements to create a safe living environment for individuals with intellectual disabilities; and
-Preparing and serving lunch to those living in an emergency shelter in Manassas, Va.