Operation HOPE Blog

U.S. Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka and HOPE founder John Hope Bryant met this month to talk about how we can make financial literacy awareness more mainstream.
The Senator from Hawaii voiced his continued support HOPE and the Financial Services Roundtable’s Framework Agreement and noted their first year’s successes that benefited millions of Americans.

“John and I share a commitment to educating, protecting and empowering all individuals through financial literacy and economic education. I applaud the efforts of Operation HOPE and the Roundtable, and I look forward to working together with them to provide financial literacy opportunities to individuals that need them most,” Senator Akaka said.

The two leaders focused on strategies to promote financial literacy, the work of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission and the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, the Obama Administration’s task force for encouraging financial awareness and financial literacy provisions included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

“Financial literacy is an issue that affects not only the underserved, but all families struggling through this economic crisis,” said Bryant. “It’s not just about finding ways to make more money. It’s about finding ways to do more with the money you have.”
Senator Akaka reaffirmed his commitment to working with his fellow Members of Congress to emphasize the importance of financial literacy for all Americans and building on successful existing financial literacy activities. Operation HOPE signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Financial Services Roundtable in 2009. The Financial Services Roundtable represents 100 of the largest integrated financial services companies providing banking, insurance, and investment products and services to the American consumer. In the past year alone, they reported that through the support of 300,000 Financial Roundtable Services member company employees and financial literacy and empowerment nonprofits like Operation HOPE, 9.4 million Americans were helped in the past year.

Tell us what you think: how can we ensure that a recession like our current one never repeats itself? How can we make financial literacy more mainstream?

Yesterday at Johnson C. Smith University, over 95 students filed into a classroom for part of their freshman orientation. However, this session wasn’t your typical Meal Plan 101.  These students came to learn a lesson that will extend far beyond their college years, learning the basics of banking, in a two-hour version of the Banking on Our Future College Edition Phase II program. Volunteer efforts for the event were lead by HOPE South-East Board member and JCSU Alum Bill Cheeks as well as local Charlotte business community leaders.  Students were introduced to the concepts of identifying their financial personalities, setting goals, budgeting, money management, do’s and don’ts of managing student loan debt and protecting their credit.

“This partnership with Operation HOPE must be a part of every student’s experience at Johnson C. Smith. This information is essential to their success, and we want to continue to provide them with this incredible resource,” Dean of Students, Dr. Cathy Jones said.

The program was well-received by its intended audience, as well; students will later take part of the full five-hour curriculum during schedule class time as a part of their first-year experience curriculum in the spring.