Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Charles Schwab Foundation Name Austin McHenry of Seattle the 2013 National Money Matters Ambassador

Boys & Girls Club teen Austin McHenry of Seattle has been named the sixth annual National Ambassador for the Money Matters: Make it CountSM program, sponsored by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Charles Schwab Foundation. The National Ambassador serves as spokesperson for the program and is charged with promoting financial education as the basis for lifelong financial health and well-being to teens across the country.

Austin McHenry, 2013 National Money Matters Ambassador (Photo: Business Wire)

McHenry first started attending Boys & Girls Clubs of King County in Seattle when he was eight years old. After taking the Money Matters program as a young teen, he learned to manage his money in a responsible way, and, as the national ambassador, he hopes to inspire and motivate other youth to learn what it takes to be financially fit at any age.

One of the most impactful lessons McHenry learned from Money Matters was about entrepreneurship. He and a close friend currently own their own media and entertainment company, which specializes in all types of media services ranging from disc jockey services to photography.

“The lessons I learned in Money Matters have been invaluable in running my current business and also with my personal finances,” he said. “Because of the knowledge I gained about saving and investing, my business partner and I invested all of our initial profits back into the business to buy more equipment, do larger events and make more money.”

Along with the title of Money Matters National Ambassador, McHenry will receive a $5,000 college scholarship from Charles Schwab Foundation. Next fall, he will attend Rochester Institute of Technology in New York to study mechanical engineering. Boys & Girls Clubs of King County will additionally receive a matching grant of $5,000 from Charles Schwab Foundation to help fund the Club’s work in providing Money Matters to Club youth.

Fourteen other Boys & Girls Club teens are also being awarded scholarships for their achievement in acquiring and applying personal finance knowledge and skills. Of those, ten will receive $1,000 scholarships. The four other finalists for the National Ambassador title will receive $2,500 each. Since 2004, Charles Schwab Foundation has presented a total of $460,000 in college scholarship grants to 222 Boys & Girls Club teens, ages 16-18, who completed the program and demonstrated excellence in applying their newly acquired financial literacy skills.

The importance of a national ambassador

“We think there’s so much value in having successful teens influence their friends and families,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab Foundation. “Our national ambassador is invaluable in extending the reach and impact of Money Matters to people across the country.”

“Through the Money Matters program, Boys & Girls Club teens are provided an opportunity to start making sound financial decisions early and develop a plan for a smart financial future,” said BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark. “It’s very inspiring to see how this program enables young people to go beyond the basics and apply newfound knowledge to things like opening up their own bank account or even starting a business.”

Full list of the 14 additional Money Matters college scholarship recipients:

About Money Matters: Make It Count

Funded and co-developed 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 prioritizing expenses, budgeting responsibly, using credit wisely, and saving for college. 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.

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, nearly 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve some 4 million children and teens 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. Clubs provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and 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 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.

Charles Schwab Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are unaffiliated entities. (0513-3906)

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