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BB&T Pledges To Double Philanthropic Giving To Over $17 Million

NEAL CHARNOFF/WFDD

BB&T Corp. says it plans to double its philanthropic giving over the next three years. This comes in advance of a company merger with SunTrust Banks Inc.

BB&T has pledged $17.4 million toward assisting nonprofit organizations in a 14-county region throughout North Carolina.

There had been questions about the company's continued philanthropic presence in the Triad since the merger with SunTrust was announced in February.

While the combined bank will move its headquarters to Charlotte, Winston-Salem will still be the home of the community-banking division.

According to a press release, BB&T has cited three grant awards that will be typical of the expanded giving.

Officials say $750,000 has been earmarked for Habitat For Humanity of Forsyth County's BB&T Challenge Initiative.

Also receiving gifts will be The Piedmont Land Conservancy and Bennett College in Greensboro.

BB&T Triad president Cantey Alexander says the company remains committed to being a “fabric of the community,” with the expectation that new jobs will be added in Winston-Salem as the corporation grows.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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