Rocket Community Fund

AI might be disrupting industries... but so are we! Recently, we hosted AI Explained in partnership with Black Tech Saturdays and Microsoft to demystify generative #AI and explore its benefits with nonprofits and small business owners. This is part of a larger initiative with BTS to revolutionize the tech landscape in #Detroit! This work wouldn't be possible without a shared vision to create opportunity for Detroiters. Huge shoutout to Autumn Evans, our Senior Program Manager for Digital Equity & Inclusion who is actively helping bridge the #digitaldivide. Learn More: https://bit.ly/457BfrP (Pictured below: Art T., Josh Zook, Alexa Turnage, Shawn Malhotra, Autumn Evans, Laura Grannemann and Johnnie Turnage - thank you for your partnership, your vision and your dedication to the work!)

There are a lot of reasons our team members are drawn to make an impact.... For Rocket Mortgage Data Analyst Ashley Szpanelewski, it's about supporting conservation efforts and elevating green spaces - which benefits everyone in the community. "Nature is excellent for our mental health. Just 20 minutes a day spent outdoors can help reduce stress, plus, it provides clean air, water, food, and space for recreation. It is so important that we protect the environment for future generations.” Learn more about Ashley's rockstar volunteer efforts with The Greening of Detroit, and see the full comic strip in this post: https://bit.ly/3Kl8deP

"I think Neighbor to Neighbor is effective because it’s trusted community partners and Detroit residents going door to door, asking questions and providing information right on the spot. We’re asking questions and providing relevant information and resources based on their answers. Part of it is face-to-face interaction with someone who may be your neighbor, and the other part is the offering of information or services that the resident might not have known was available to them." --Rachel Ableser, Program Manager, Housing Stability In this edition of 5 Questions, we talked with Rachel Ableser, who leads our Neighbor to Neighbor program (and a #volunteer offshoot program, Resident Connection Hub, that has quickly become a favorite volunteer opportunity for Rocket Companies team members!) Check out Rachel's unique journey from Mortgage Banker to Program Manager supporting one of our most critical initiatives. Learn More: https://bit.ly/44WRO9G

We've made a lot of progress on a vision we share with Rocket Companies to help everyone home. Learn more about the investments we made and the partnerships we built in 2023: https://bit.ly/3WmJ5eG

We're so excited for this partnership with Black Tech Saturdays! LET'S GOOO! 🚀

We're excited to bring Year Up to Rocket Companies! Together with our friends in Talent Acquisition, the Rocket Community Fund is supporting #Detroit students with paid internships through Year Up that will give them the skills and training needed to excel in their careers. The numbers speak for themselves: 80% of Year Up alumni are employed and/or enrolled in college within 4 months of graduation. Students participating in the program at Rocket Companies will also have the chance to gain full-time employment once their internship is over. We can't wait to see how this program - and our interns - will evolve! We are grateful to Jonathan Pulley M.A., Senior Program Manager, Career Education on the Rocket Community Fund for leading this program from our side, to Marvin L. Logan Jr, our Director of Education and Employment, and to DJ Bridges, Sarissa Geier, Don Beckwith, Ray Macksoud, our Talent Acquisition team, and Cheronda White for the partnership! Learn More: https://bit.ly/3QPomgh

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the "AI Explained" event in partnership with Black Tech Saturdays, Rocket Community Fund and Microsoft. The event featured amazing speakers from diverse backgrounds, who shared their insights on the importance of Generative AI and its potential to boost productivity and innovation. They also provided valuable guidance on how individuals and businesses whether small or big can start integrating AI into their workflows. One of the highlights was a mini hands-on AI workshop on prompt engineering, where participants learned how to apply AI to various daily business tasks. I was thrilled to be asked to volunteer for this workshop, especially since I've been studying AI and incorporating prompt engineering into my personal workflow daily. It was a fantastic opportunity to share useful tips and assist many attendees who were exploring AI for the very first time. Although I wasn’t expecting to be a last-minute volunteer, I'm always happy to help educate others in AI and tech. Thank you to everyone who attended and connected with me, it was an absolute pleasure meeting you all! Looking forward to more opportunities to share and learn in the fascinating world of AI, web, and technology!

Our #FBF post involves two of our favorite things: #volunteering and #books! Last month, our #Phoenix Rocket Companies team members volunteered at Southwest Human Development to support literacy efforts. Our team sorted through donated books to be distributed to local Little Libraries, and made literacy kits for kids. Thanks again, Phoenix! Your efforts continue to inspire us and we appreciate all that you do!

When we say we make data-driven investments that are informed by the needs of the community, this is what we mean: Our flagship Neighbor to Neighbor program hires residents as #volunteers who go door-to-door to provide their neighbors with resources and information to help them stay in their homes. It's also a fact-finding mission, where we learn about the issues most concerning to residents. In 2023, we launched Neighbor to Neighbor in #Atlanta. Based on those findings, we've begun investing in programs and partnerships to better support residents with critical housing resources. Check out the report: https://bit.ly/4adh7pb Learn how we're helping: https://bit.ly/3VDDroi

We are so proud of this partnership with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)! Together we created the Rocket Wealth Accelerator Program to help residents in four key cities (Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland and Atlanta) build a stable financial future. The program was launched just last year, and already we're seeing residents benefit from it. We can't wait to see more stories like these!