New Hip Hop Video Gives Unique Twist to Personal Finance Ed in Winning Entry for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Charles Schwab Foundation Contest
For the second year in a row, Boys & Girls Club teens have shown that
hip hop beats lend themselves surprisingly well to themes about personal
finance. Blake McGuire, a 15-year-old member of the Boys & Girls Clubs
of Indianapolis, has won top honors in the second annual Money Matters
Music Mogul (M4) Contest, sponsored by Boys
& Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Charles
Schwab Foundation, for his memorable and upbeat rap “Money
All That Matters.”
Winner of the 2013 Money Matters Music Mogul contest Blake McGuire and multi-platinum producer Kevin "KHAO" Cates (Photo: Business Wire)
The contest was designed to tap the talent and creativity of teens
across the U.S. to raise awareness of the importance of being smart
about money, and to spread the word about the financial education
program Money Matters: Make It CountSM available
through the 2,900 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country that serve
teens. In the call for entries, BGCA teens, ages 13-18, were invited to
submit song lyrics that would reflect themes from the Money Matters
curriculum and deliver a strong, positive message about financial
fitness. The songs were performed using one of several background beats
provided by Grammy Award-Nominated music producer and founder of the Bridge
DA Gap Movement Kevin “KHAO” Cates.
For his winning song, McGuire received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
to travel to Atlanta to professionally record his song with KHAO and
create a music video with other Boys & Girls Club teens. He will also
receive a $1,000 scholarship and a matching grant for his Club from
Charles Schwab Foundation, and the other top four finalists will each
receive a $500 scholarship.
First-ever financial literacy-themed hip hop album
A hip hop album featuring both last year’s and this year’s winning songs
as well as several other M4 finalists’ songs from teens around the
country has also been produced by KHAO. The album, called “M4: Money
Matters Music Mogul$,” is available for digital download at www.bgca.org/m4.
All sales proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club teens featured on
the album, going to a special college scholarship fund. A limited number
of CDs are also available.
“Let’s face it, personal finance in itself may not seem all that
interesting to teens, so we’re always looking for fresh ways to light a
spark," said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab
Foundation. “We thought hip hop was a genre they would find
relevant, and the success of the contest proved us right. I've been
really impressed with the results, and have to say that I can’t get this
year’s winning song out of my head!”
“For 10 years now, the Money Matters program has been teaching
young people the importance of making smart financial choices early on,
and it continues to be one of our most popular programs,” said BGCA
President and CEO Jim Clark. “It’s inspiring to see teens take an issue
like financial literacy to a creative place by producing songs to
educate and entertain their peers. We are extremely pleased to see the Money
Matters Music Mogul morph into the first-ever financial literacy hip
hop album, providing a message with a beat that appeals to teens
everywhere.”
For his part, KHAO is committed to encouraging teens and developing
their talent. He says he’s continually impressed by their ability to
deliver fresh, compelling messages about gaining knowledge and coming up
in the world.
“I had so much fun with the contest last year that the folks at BGCA and
Charles Schwab Foundation didn’t even have to invite me to do it again
this year,” said KHAO. “Their goals are so well aligned with what I do
to help today’s youth, and last year’s contest turned out to be such a
hit that I just assumed we’d do it again.”
McGuire himself has always had a passion for music. “I began turning
poems into raps when I was nine years old,” he said. “My feelings toward
winning this contest are indescribable. The Money Matters program
is very important in helping teens understand money. You can come into
the program not knowing who is on the front of a $20 bill and leave
signing checks.”
The contest’s call for entries was made on November 8, 2012, and the
submission period concluded on December 28, 2012. Fifty-four teens
submitted songs, and more than 186,000 votes were cast on myclubmylife.com
to choose a “fan favorite” from among the top ten finalists. The final
choice among the top five finalists was made by KHAO, and it coincided
with the fan favorite selected by BGCA teens.
The other four finalists in this year’s M4 contest were:
-
“One Dream, One Shot” by James H. (16) and Brandon H. (15); Boys &
Girls Club of Sarasota County, Lee Wetherington Unit
-
“All About My Money” by Christopher E. (15) and Erik B. (15); Boys &
Girls Club of Pawtucket, Rhode Island
-
“No Time” by Marcos G. (17) and Johnny C. (15); Boys & Girls Club of
Metro Atlanta, G.W. Carver Unit
-
“Finessin & Investin” by Victor N. (17) and Kendall C. (18); Boys &
Girls Club of Indianapolis, Wheeler-Dowe Unit
Additional details about the contest, including photos, are available
here: www.bgca.org/media/Pages/default.aspx.
About Money Matters: Make It Count
Funded and co-created by Charles Schwab Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs
of America’s Money Matters program is designed to promote money
management skills among teens, ages 13-18. The program consists of fun,
interactive activities and exercises on topics such as using a checking
account, managing debt, saving for college and learning the basics of
investing. The program is targeted primarily at teens from underserved
communities.
Some 500,000 youth in over 1,700 teen Boys & Girls Clubs across the U.S.
have participated in Money Matters since it launched in mid-2004.
In addition, Charles Schwab Foundation has presented a cumulative total
of $460,000 in scholarships to 222 Club teens who completed Money
Matters and demonstrated exceptional financial skills from their
newly acquired knowledge of personal finance.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org)
has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as
productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,000 Clubs
serve some 4 million young people annually through Club membership and
community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing
and on Native American lands throughout the country, and serve military
families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations
worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun,
friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis
during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic
success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a
Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives.
National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at www.bgca.org/facebook and bgca.org/twitter.
About Charles Schwab Foundation
Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization funded by
The Charles Schwab Corporation. Its mission is to create positive change
through financial education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. More
information is available at www.aboutschwab.com/community.
The Charles Schwab Foundation is classified by the IRS as a charity
under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is
neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) nor its
parent company, The Charles Schwab Corporation.
About Bridge DA Gap
Bridge DA Gap, founded by multi-platinum music producer Kevin “KHAO”
Cates, is an educational initiative that uses music to communicate with
youth in a language they understand. Its components include a textbook,
an accompanying musical CD, video and a curriculum designed to help
youth navigate through many of today’s problems and challenges in order
to build foundations, advance dreams and transform their lives through
character-building principles. More information is available at www.bridgedagap.com.
Charles Schwab Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Bridge DA
Gap are unaffiliated entities. (0412-2664)
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130410005343/en/