Operation HOPE and Financial Literacy for All Launch Second Annual Green Socks Day Challenge to Advance Financial Literacy Across the U.S.

Green Socks Day Set for April 30 as a National Call to Action to Close National Financial Literacy Month

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Operation HOPE, and its national initiative Financial Literacy for All (FL4A), today announced the launch of the second annual Green Socks Day Challenge, a nationwide movement culminating on April 30 to close Financial Literacy Month with a country-wide call to action emphasizing financial literacy as the foundation for economic opportunity and ownership.

Powered by FL4A, Green Socks Day encourages individuals, schools, corporations, faith-based organizations, and community groups across the country to wear green socks as a visible symbol of commitment to financial understanding and economic empowerment.

Throughout April, Operation HOPE will spotlight stories of individuals improving their credit, reducing debt, launching businesses, and preparing for homeownership. On April 28^th, representatives from participating organizations will join Operation HOPE in anticipation of Green Socks Day by ringing the Opening Bell at Nasdaq in New York City.

On April 30, individuals and organizations across the globe, are encouraged to share their participation on social media using #GreenSocksDay and engage their communities in conversations about financial literacy and economic mobility. Select photos from participant submissions and from social media will be featured on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square.

This year’s focus, “The First Step Is Financial,” emphasizes the role foundational financial knowledge plays in preparing individuals and families for long-term economic stability, including entrepreneurship, homeownership, and wealth-building.

The initiative builds on the success of last year’s inaugural Green Socks Day Challenge, which achieved record-breaking impact, mobilized corporate partners, and drove a surge in new clients seeking Operation HOPE’s no-cost financial coaching services, including:

• Participation by more than 50 leading corporations including Walmart, MasterCard, US Bank, Truist, Huntington Bank, iHeart Media, Delta Airlines, MLB, MLS, NASCAR, Nasdaq, NBA, NHL, Shopify, OpenAI, and UPS
• More than 6,700 new client enrollments for Operation HOPE’s financial coaching services
• Over 1 million impressions generated by the #GreenSocksDay social media campaign with top posts featured on Nasdaq’s Times Square Tower in New York City

“Economic freedom begins with financial understanding,” said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE. “Ownership, entrepreneurship, and generational wealth are built on a foundation of financial literacy. Green Socks Day reminds us that preparation is the first step toward lasting opportunity.”

Corporations, small businesses, and community organizations are encouraged to participate in Green Socks Day by engaging employees in the initiative, hosting financial literacy events, and promoting financial literacy resources.

Through FL4A and Operation HOPE, individuals nationwide have access to free financial coaching, educational programs, and corporate partnerships to help drive financial empowerment at scale.

Individuals and organizations can learn more, access activation resources, and participate at: https://operationhope.org/green-socks-day-challenge/

About Financial Literacy for All (FL4A)

Launched in 2021, Financial Literacy for All (FL4A) is a national initiative co-chaired by John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, and Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart. FL4A is dedicated to embedding financial literacy into American culture, ensuring that financial education becomes a lifelong learning priority for individuals, families, businesses, and communities. FL4A is backed by leading corporate partners committed to making financial literacy accessible to all. For more information, visit www.fl4a.org

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $4.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.