Bank of America provides funding to improve students’ financial education
Posted July 12, 2016
Left to right, David Reiter, senior vice president and private client manager for Bank of America; Judy Starr, director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Clark College Foundation; and Jessica Hewitt, vice president of Enterprise Business & Community Engagement for Bank of America.
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation is helping break the cycle of intergenerational poverty in the region with a $20,000 grant that supports a financial empowerment coach at Clark College. The coach works directly with students to help them stabilize their finances and increase the likelihood of students meeting their economic, education and career goals.
The grant, delivered to Clark College Foundation, provides ongoing support within Clark College’s Career Services department for the most vulnerable students. Assuring that a full-time financial coach remains on staff allows the college to continue providing workshops, classroom presentations and individual sessions focusing on how to budget, balance a checkbook, set long-term financial goals and understand credit cards, credit scores and loan repayments.
A budgeting course delivered by the financial literacy coach was added to the College 101: College Essentials course last year. All students working toward an associate in arts and associate of arts direct transfer degrees are required to complete the course, which introduces students to campus resources, such as campus navigation, technology, tutoring support and financial aid.