EAU CLAIRE, Wis.– Royal Credit Union is donating $20,000 plus an additional $10,000 for a match campaign to the Frogtown & Rondo Community Business Recovery Fund in Minnesota. The fund supports local businesses, many owned by people of color, which experienced damage during recent unrest in St. Paul, Minn.
Three community groups work together to manage the fund—Summit-University Planning Council, Frogtown Neighborhood Association, and Victoria Arts Theater Center. An executive committee is making award decisions and going door-to-door to talk with local business owners and see the needs firsthand.
"These businesses hold down the community and we want to support and rebuild to prevent the domino effect of loss of community,” said Jens Werner, executive director of Summit-University Planning Council. “Receiving this level of support from Royal Credit Union is a powerful message of hope and love for our community, and a reminder of brighter days to come."
Some of the most common needs include replacing large-pane windows on storefronts and removing graffiti. A local daycare got a bill for $4,000 to replace glass in their facility. With help from the Community Business Recovery Fund they are working to make these important repairs, the credit union said.
The Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods in St. Paul are a half mile south of Royal’s Rice St. location and were an epicenter of property damage, particularly along University Ave. W. It is served by the Summit-University Planning Council and the Frogtown Neighborhood Association, which work to create opportunities for residents to learn about what is happening in their neighborhood and collaborate to improve the quality of life.
“Royal Credit Union is proud to be a member of the St. Paul business community and we have been deeply saddened that the neighbors we serve have experienced such hardship and loss. Royal’s core purpose is to make a positive impact in the lives we touch and, by supporting this fund, we hope to make a difference as the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods rebuild and recover,” said Brandon Riechers, president of Royal Credit Union.