Faith in the City
Comments from
Colleen Wilkinson - Director of Community & Volunteer Initiatives
"The Faith
in the City Personal Finance Center is the result of a year long
research and planning effort by Faith in the City. During that
time, what we learned heartily encouraged us: A
community whose members have a better
understanding about matters of personal finance and are prepared to make
informed consumer choices is a community with higher levels of
participation in (the local economy), schooling
and education, community life, and civic and
political affairs.
So, we set
out with a goal to provide a real opportunity for working
families to achieve financial security. We learned, early on, that
in order to do this, we needed to promote the
idea that knowledge is power: an understanding
of basic financial tools and services builds financial
confidence and inspires full participation in the local economy.
We have
several operating principles: We are committed to a service model
that emphasizes self-directed learning and up-to-the-minute skill
development. All instruction and coaching here is provided by
financial services industry experts, trained in
adult education practices, who volunteer their
time and expertise to this new market.
The Personal
Finance Center is also committed to building strategic
partnerships with a variety of community stakeholders including
businesses, community-based
organizations, financial institutions, community development
agencies, employers, and individuals in order to strengthen our
efforts. This commitment is demonstrated through
our work with organizations like AccountAbility
Minnesota, the Children's Defense Fund, and African
Development Center".
