Chamylah General, Nyuma Gumaneh, and Ciarra Leocadio from The Children’s Aid Society have each been awarded a $1,000, $2,500, and $2,500 scholarship, respectively, from the Money Matters: Make It Count program, sponsored by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Charles Schwab Foundation. The three young women were selected as scholarship recipients for their outstanding demonstration of financial literacy.
The Money Matters Scholarship Program awards 15 scholarships annually to young people across the nation, ages 16-18, who have completed the Money Matters: Make It Count program and demonstrated their newly acquired financial literacy skills, such as managing debt and saving for college. Since 2004, Charles Schwab Foundation has presented a total of $485,000 in college scholarship grants to 237 Boys & Girls Club teens.
“Through the Money Matters program, we are able to teach our teens the skills necessary for a successful financial future,” said Ernesto Isaac, director of Children’s Aid’s Hope Leadership Academy in East Harlem. “We are proud of Chamylah, Nyuma, and Ciarra for earning this national scholarship as a result of their smart money management from the program. Thanks to organizations like the Charles Schwab Foundation, they have promising academic and financial futures.”
The young women are excited to attend college, the first step toward building a career, and are grateful for the support that the scholarships have provided. When Chamylah begins college in the fall of 2015, she wants to study forensic psychology—her career passion. Nyuma will begin college at the same time, and she will be studying pediatric nursing. She dreams of one day applying her education to build a medical clinic in Gambia, where her parents immigrated from more than 20 years ago. Ciarra will be attending Vanderbilt University this fall to study biology, and after college plans on attending medical school to become an obstetrician and gynecologist.
Through fun, interactive activities and exercises, the Money Matters program was created to promote financial literacy among teens by building basic money management skills. Since the program’s inception, over 500,000 Boys & Girls Club teens have completed Money Matters in more than 1,700 Clubs.
About The Children’s Aid Society
The Children’s Aid Society is an independent, nonprofit organization established to serve the children of New York City. Our mission is to help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive supports to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Founded in 1853, it is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York’s neediest children. Services are provided in community schools, neighborhood centers, health clinics, and camps. For additional information, please call Anthony Ramos at (212) 949-4938/(917) 204-8214, email anthonyr@childrensaidsociety.org, or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.
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 some 4 million young people annually 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. 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 www.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. (0412-2627)