In 1998, we had a vision to help eradicate poverty in New York City, starting with young people.  This vision was made real through a commitment from trained HOPE Corps volunteers, and a modest financial commitment from partners Bankers Trust (now Deutsche Bank) and Citigroup (now Citi).  We kicked off in Harlem, with a Banking on Our Future program teaching session featuring former U.S. President Bill Clinton and myself, at The Roberto Clemente Intermediary School, signaling an early partnership in Harlem with the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation.  To date we have educated more than 38,700 youth in greater New York, with more than 1,198 trained HOPE Corps volunteers citywide.

On October 3, 2007, more than 400 VIPs joined HOPE friends and partners as we officially cut the ribbon to inaugurate the much anticipated Harlem HOPE Center, a partnership with E*TRADE FINANCIAL as our lead sponsor, JP Morgan Chase and others. The Harlem HOPE Center was our eighth location nationwide.

Through continued efforts, thousands of local community members have benefitted from financial literacy, economic empowerment and small business seminars offered at the Center, offering them a “hand up, not a hand-out”.