With the obvious lack of financial training in American
homes, and the complete absence of it in our schools,
just where is a teen supposed to learn how to manage
that credit card he’s got in his wallet?
That’s where Operation HOPE comes into
play.
Started a few years ago, Operation HOPE’s program,
“Banking on our Future,” serves to educate
the underprivileged youth of our society about how
to lead successful financial lives. They target high
schools that are in low-income areas, and teach kids
from the 4th to 12th grades how to open and run checking
and savings accounts, as well as the basics of credit..
Their national spokesman Ambassador Andrew Young—the
late Martin Luther King’s right hand man—believes
that this is exactly the kind of work Dr. King would
be doing if he were still alive.
Recently, Citigroup, along with Citigroup Foundation
have become ardent supporters of the group. Last February,
they donated $500,000 toward the expansion of the
program, which will allow Operation HOPE to reach
an additional 100,000 high school students in Washington,
DC, New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland, California,
and Atlanta.
To date, Operation HOPE and the “Banking on
our Future” program has reached 104,000 participants
across the nation.
Most recently, Citigroup and the Citigroup Foundation
made a whopping commitment of $200 million dollars
to be spread out over a 10 year period. The money
will be used to establish an Office of Financial Education,
and a push to encourage their 300,000 employees around
the world to take paid holidays and volunteer with
organizations who teach financial education.
If you’d like more information about Operation
HOPE and their “Banking on our Future”
program, you can visit their web site here: http://www.bankingonourfuture.org/master.cfm/main/home
