Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Charles Schwab Foundation Name Aisha Barrows 2014 National Money Matters Ambassador

Teen Awarded Top College Scholarship Prize; 14 Additional Scholarship Awards Granted

Aisha Barrows, 2014 National Money Matters Ambassador (Photo: Business Wire)

SAN FRANCISCO--()--Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Charles Schwab Foundation have named Aisha Barrows of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver the seventh annual National Ambassador for the successful Money Matters: Make it CountSM financial education program. The National Ambassador serves as an advocate for the program and is charged with promoting education as the basis for lifelong financial health and well-being to teens across the country.

Barrows began her experience with the Money Matters program in 2011 in Denver. Shortly thereafter, she began educating teens and adults on financial literacy by sharing money-saving tips on her local radio show “The Melting Pot,” which airs every other Sunday on KYGT-FM in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Barrows also used the knowledge she gained in Money Matters to start her own 529 college savings plan.

“Because of Money Matters, I’m more aware of when and how I spend money, and just having this awareness has helped me better balance ‘wants’ versus ‘needs,’” she said. “I’ve become a huge saver, and it’s been exciting to see my account grow little by little.”

As Money Matters National Ambassador, Barrows will receive a $5,000 college scholarship from Charles Schwab Foundation. Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver will additionally receive a matching grant of $5,000 to help fund the Club’s work in providing Money Matters to Club youth.

Barrows, who will graduate from high school in 2015, is a leader in her community and has been recognized through her Boys & Girls Club as Youth of the Month for various efforts over the past three years. Barrows plans to pursue a B.A. degree in English from the University of Northern Colorado and hopes to work for Teach for America upon graduation.

Impact of the Money Matters National Ambassador

“The Money Matters National Ambassador serves as an example of how making smart financial decisions can start when you are young,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab Foundation. “Our graduates leave the program feeling empowered to take the right steps to achieve lifelong financial well-being.”

“The Money Matters program enables our teens to learn the power of saving and how to develop a plan for a smart financial future,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO of BGCA. “These teens complete the program feeling confident in their ability to responsibly handle their finances and make good money choices.”

Additional Scholarship Winners

Fourteen other extraordinary Boys & Girls Club teens are also being awarded scholarships for their achievement in applying personal finance knowledge and skills acquired through the Money Matters program. Of those, ten will receive $1,000 scholarships, and the four other finalists for the National Ambassador title will receive $2,500 each. Since inception of the program in 2004, Charles Schwab Foundation has presented a total of $485,000 in college scholarship grants to 237 Boys & Girls Club teens, ages 16-18, who successful completed the Money Matters program and demonstrated exceptional personal finance leadership skills and understanding.

The following is the complete list of the 14 additional Money Matters college scholarship recipients:

Centrese Anderson, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta    
Jessica Arroyo, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale
Precious Blalock, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta

Aria Cauthen, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta

Albert Chien, Children’s Aid Society (New York)

Ambassador Finalist
Chamylah General, Children’s Aid Society (New York)
Christina Gramling, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford
Nyuma Gumaneh, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco Ambassador Finalist
Rosario Jiminez, Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club (Locust Valley, NY)
Woodlyn Joachin, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford Ambassador Finalist
Gary Johnson, Pueblo of Pojoaque Boys & Girls Club (Santa Fe, NM)
Demi Kelly, USAG Daegu Child & Youth Services (South Korea)
Ciarra Locadio, Children’s Aid Society (New York) Ambassador Finalist
D’Khorvillyn Tyus, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta

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 needs vs. wants, budgeting responsibly, using credit wisely and saving for college. The program is targeted primarily at teens from underserved communities.

More than 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, more than 4,000 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native 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.

Charles Schwab Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America are unaffiliated entities. (0414-2909)

Contacts

Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Amy Lamparter, 404-487-5856
alamparter@bgca.org
or
Charles Schwab
Sarah Bulgatz, 415-667-0328
sarah.bulgatz@schwab.com

Release Summary

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Charles Schwab Foundation have named Aisha Barrows of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver the seventh annual National Ambassador.

Contacts

Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Amy Lamparter, 404-487-5856
alamparter@bgca.org
or
Charles Schwab
Sarah Bulgatz, 415-667-0328
sarah.bulgatz@schwab.com