Visa Responds to California Wildfires

November 16, 2018 at 12:48 PM EST

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2018-- Visa and the Visa Foundation today announced a commitment to help those impacted by multiple major wildfires that have devastated regions throughout California over the last week.

“Visa is committed to strengthening the communities in which we operate in times of need, and providing philanthropic support to help those affected by disaster and humanitarian crises,” said Marianne Mwaniki, senior vice president of social impact. “As a proud Bay Area company, we are devastated by the damage these fires have caused to the state that we and thousands of our employees are proud to call home, and have pledged resources to aid the relief and recovery of the regions that have been impacted.”

Visa is taking several actions to support relief efforts, including:

  • The Visa Foundation is donating $100,000 to help enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from California wildfires.
  • Visa Inc. will double match employee donations to the Red Cross California Wildfires fund on a two-to-one basis through November 30, 2018.
  • Visa activated its “Back to Business” tool, a dynamic directory that identifies when an impacted small business has successfully processed a Visa transaction following a natural disaster, helping consumers locate and support these small businesses. As of November 14, there were 38,375 businesses listed in the counties of Butte, Los Angeles, and Ventura alone, an area severely impacted by the Woolsey Fire. More information on this tool can be found here.

Through volunteerism, matching gifts and other programs, Visa engages and empowers employees to participate in our global efforts to give back to our communities. In 2017, our employees contributed nearly $2 million in donations, matched by Visa through our Matching Gift Program, supporting more than 1,700 organizations.

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.

 

Source: Visa Inc.

Media Contacts
Marni Goldberg
Visa Inc.
202-313-1253
margoldb@visa.com