Operation HOPE and City of Atlanta Highlight Innovative Child Savings Program During 'Year of the Youth' Initiative

Data outcomes prove positive impact on children and families in need

ATLANTA, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Operation HOPE, Inc., the nation's largest non-profit dedicated to financial empowerment for underserved communities, joined Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to launch "Year of the Youth," which included a highlight of the City's pilot Child Savings Account (CSA) Initiative. In partnership with Citibank, the program was established in 2021 to provide savings accounts for qualifying kindergarteners enrolled in Title I Atlanta Public Schools. The kick-off event was hosted at the Atlanta City Hall Atrium and attended by a diverse group of youth partners, community stakeholders and business leaders.

To date, more than $264,000 of deposits have been made by Operation HOPE, with a total of 5,760 total new accounts established. The first two cohorts of young scholars account for more than 10% of all APS students.

"Through this groundbreaking partnership, we are providing financial wellness education and creating pathways to success that allow Atlanta's youth to thrive," said John Hope Bryant, Founder Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE. "Together we will ensure that Atlanta's children – many of whom are at the lowest income spectrum – have all of the resources necessary to achieve their full potential. Our investment is intentional and will undoubtedly create new opportunities that can change lives."

During the event, Bryant also highlighted data from the HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which reveals the disparities of families living in low credit score neighborhoods. By cultivating financial education early, Operation HOPE seeks to improve the overall financial health of underserved neighborhoods and increase their ability to build generational wealth.

In addition to administering the child savings accounts, Operation HOPE has provided financial literacy education to parents and caregivers at no cost. This includes hands-on coaching and access to resources that help increase savings, lower debt, improve credit scores and establish a path to homeownership. Now in its second year, the CSA program will continue to support Atlanta's "Year of the Youth" and provide financial literacy to more adolescents and families throughout 2023.

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 $3.2 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. Operation HOPE recently received its eighth consecutive 4-star charity rating for fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability from the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Join the conversation on social media at @operationhope.

For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta.

Media Contact

Lalohni Campbell

Per/Se Media Group, for Operation HOPE

la@persemediagroup.com

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SOURCE Operation HOPE, Inc.