Volunteers from First
American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF), a leading global
provider of title insurance and settlement services for residential and
commercial real estate transactions, along with Operation HOPE (HOPE), a
financial dignity nonprofit, teamed to present a “Youth Academy” on
September 11 and 12. The academy was a local event at which more than
200 Denver high school students from the far northeast communities and
Denver Summit Schools Network learned to manage money and increase their
earning potential.
Hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City - Denver Branch,
students learned about the basics of banking, checking and savings
accounts. The instruction was provided by HOPE Corps members,
financial-industry volunteers trained by HOPE to share their knowledge
of banking and credit in terms that students can understand and quickly
put into practice. In addition to financial education, the students were
given messages of empowerment, responsibility and hope.
“It is so important for students to learn the basics of money management
so they are prepared to enter society with an understanding of how to
manage their basic finances,” said Lionel Savage, President of First
American Community Fund, who also serves as chairman of Operation HOPE’s
mid-Atlantic board. “By teaching these basic financial skills, it is our
hope that these students will learn healthy money-management practices
and attitudes that will last throughout their lives.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with First American to bring Banking
on Our Future to the local community,” said Mary Kathryn Sagaria,
Operation HOPE’s Banking on Our Future Denver program manager. “The
students participating in this event attend schools that are part of the
Denver Public Schools’ School Turnaround initiative, which focuses on
increasing student academic performance. Therefore, this event
highlighting financial education and leadership is well aligned to
significantly support a turnaround goal.”
“The Federal Reserve is committed to helping educate all about being
money smart, and this was another great opportunity for us to reach
students. Typically, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City conducts
more than 100 programs a year targeting financial education for both
students and adults,” said Alison Felix, assistant vice president and
Denver Branch Executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. “We
provide free materials through FederalReserveEducation.org so students,
parents and educators can learn more about personal finance. It is
especially important to be a partner and resource with the new personal
financial literacy standards being implemented in Colorado this fall.”
Founded in 1996, Banking on Our Future is Operation HOPE’s premier
financial education program for youth in underserved communities. The
program won one of Oprah’s Angel Network Awards and the U.S. Treasury
Department’s John Sherman Award for Financial Literacy Excellence. Using
a growing network of trained volunteers, the program has educated more
than 720,000 youth nationwide. An online version of the course is
available at bankingonourfuture.org. For more information, visit operationhope.org.
First American Financial Corporation and Operation HOPE have been in
partnership since 2004. John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE’s founder,
chairman and chief executive officer, served on First American’s
National Advisory Council from 2004 until 2009.
About First American
First American Financial Corporation (NYSE: FAF) is a leading provider
of title insurance and settlement services to the real estate and
mortgage industries, that traces its heritage back to 1889. First
American also provides title plant management services; title and other
real property records and images; valuation products and services; home
warranty products; property and casualty insurance; and banking, trust,
and investment advisory services. With revenues of $4.5 billion in 2012,
the company offers its products and services directly and through its
agents throughout the United States and abroad. More information about
the company can be found at www.firstam.com.
About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since its inception in 1992, Operation HOPE has served more than 2
million individuals. The financial dignity nonprofit has also directed
more than $1.5 billion in private capital to low-wealth communities; it
maintains a growing army of 20,000 HOPE Corps volunteers, and currently
serves in more than 300 U.S. cities, as well as South Africa, Saudi
Arabia, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. To learn more about HOPE,
join us on twitter @OperationHOPE, visit www.operationhope.org
or read our blog at www.operationhope.org/blog.
About the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
As the regional headquarters of the nation’s central bank, the Federal
Reserve Bank of Kansas City, along with its branch offices in Denver,
Oklahoma City and Omaha, participates in each of the Federal Reserve’s
three mission areas of monetary policy, banking supervision and
financial services. The Bank serves the Tenth Federal Reserve District,
a region that includes western Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma,
Wyoming, Colorado and northern New Mexico. www.kansascityfed.org
Copyright Business Wire 2013