2024 RNC host committee deposits $100,000 at Milwaukee's Columbia Savings & Loan

The host committee for the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee made a bank deposit Tuesday that it hopes will make a difference in the city.

The committee put $100,000 into an account at the minority-owned Columbia Savings & Loan Association, bringing cash and attention to the bank's centennial anniversary next year.

Columbia Savings & Loan at 2020 W. Fond du Lac Ave. is the nation's sixth-oldest African American-owned bank.

The bank is trying to achieve a goal of at least $10 million in new funding to support its "100 by the 100th" campaign, as it seeks to help 100 families become homeowners by the end of 2024.

Ted Kellner, CEO of Milwaukee's 2024 Host Committee, said one of the reasons to bring the convention to Milwaukee was to spark economic development.

"This is going to be about supporting our businesses, our vendors, the hundreds of people and businesses that are going be part of the RNC next year," he said.

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During the ceremony, Will Martin, the bank's executive vice president, made sure to stand by a portrait of Wilbur Halyard, who founded the bank with his wife, Ardie, in April 1924.

Martin said the Halyards created the bank "because African Americans could not get access to capital. So in the 1920s in Milwaukee oftentimes African Americans would live three and four families in a single-family dilapidated rental because they could not get the access to capital to buy a home.

"The Halyards knew that home ownership isn't just about a place to lay your head. It's about a sense of belonging, of owning a piece of the American dream, about intergenerational wealth."

Martin said the bank is still living out that mission and has raised $6 million in new deposits toward the $10 million goal. With that money it will be able to make the loans for homes.

"We hope that other corporate partners and governmental partners and others will be inspired by what the Milwaukee 2024 host committee is doing," he said.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson lauded the deposit.

"From the outset, my goal has been to have the Republican convention to bring a positive impact to the city of Milwaukee," he said.

Host committee chief operating officer Alison Prange said fundraising for the convention is ahead of schedule. She declined to provide a specific figure as organizers try to raise $68.5 million for the event.

The convention will be held July 15-18 and is expected to bring 50,000 visitors to the city.

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