Meet Matthew & Brian
Matthew and Brian live in Roanoke County with their son (age 6) and their two Golden Retrievers, Sonoma and Lodi. Matthew and Brian are adoptive and foster parents through the Roanoke County Department of Social Services, advocating for children and families in the Roanoke Valley.
Matthew, originally from Botetourt County, has been with Wells Fargo since 2011 and is a Certified Risk and Compliance Management Professional (CRCMP). Matthew manages the New Business Initiatives program for the Wells Fargo Commercial Capital business. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for CHIP of Roanoke Valley serving as the Legislative Affairs Chair, the Board of Directors for United Way Roanoke Valley, and the Executive Leadership Team for the Roanoke Valley Heart Walk. Previously, he served on the United Way Roanoke Valley’s Emerging Leaders United Steering Committee and is a past member of the United Way’s Community Investment Panel. In 2020, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award, Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of the Roanoke Valley. As the past President and board member of the Wells Fargo Roanoke Valley Volunteer chapter, he’s organized volunteers throughout Wells Fargo for many area nonprofits.
Brian is the Owner and Operator of Wine Gourmet and Medmont Mercantile located on Electric Road in Roanoke, VA. Brian is a Virginia Native, born in Norfolk, Virginia and growing up in Northern Virginia. Brian attended Virginia Tech where he studied Biology and Human Nutrition. After a few years working in Chicago, Brian found his way back to Virginia when he purchased Wine Gourmet. Wine Gourmet recently doubled in square footage and launched their new "sister store" Medmont Mercantile to focus on the company's rapidly growing demand for gifts, accessories, home decor, cards, chocolates and gourmet items. Brian serves on the boards for the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, American Heart Association Cattle Baron's Ball, The Hunting HIlls HomeOwners Association, The Elks Club House Committee, and most importantly coaches his son's T-Ball team.
What strengths did you observe in the family? What did you learn from the family? What were your takeaways?
Wow! Where do we even start?! Our home visit experience was so impactful, heartwarming, and unique. The work that CHIP does to help families not only survive but embrace their potential in realistic ways is notable and so important for the region, but in particular for these families and their children.
In this particular case, we met with an inspiring mother of two (1 and 4 year old girls). Shelley and Kelly did a phenomenal job making the whole experience feel light and approachable while covering some important yet heavy topics. This particular mom has lots on her plate both personally and for the girls, yet you could tell the support of the team not only alleviated some of the angst but had empowered her to tackle many of these issues either herself or with their support. Shelley and Kelly’s ability not only to listen but to discern potential needs in this family’s life was astonishing. Further, their capacity to recall a litany of resources and programs that may help the family in a multitude of facets was remarkable.
These services are not only wanted by families such as this, but they are needed, desperately, as a rising tide floats all ships, and we need to make sure that our neighbors are also taken care of in their times of need.