Help Improve Financial Literacy in Deep East Texas

Operationally, we have never been as engaged with the community as we have been since the beginning of this year. We have seen more clients, had a greater impact, and experienced more positive feedback than we ever had! Even better, we are poised to continue this growth as we look to expand our capacity to handle more people in a broader geographical area.

Our clients are experiencing increased 20-30 point increases to their FICO scores after just 6 months of working with our team. Net incomes are increasing by an average of $1,200 per month. While we would love for these numbers to be a reflection of every client's experience, we are constantly finding ways to serve even the most difficult cases. Over 40% of our clients have experienced a positive outcome and we're working hard to increase this number to over 50%. Our assessments show that our clients are experiencing results and are becoming more confident in their ability to manage their finances on their own. 

We understand that our work will never be done. We are fortunate to have our GlobalGiving supporters who understand it as well. You are a valuable and critical component of our efforts in accomplishing our mission, and we thank you for your continued support. 

While 2020 was proved to be one of the most challenging years due to a pandemic that seems to not want to subside any time soon, we are beginning to see the brighter days that are ahead. There are many lessons to learn from this experience. First, even though we live in one of the wealthiest nations in the history of the world, most Americans are still not prepared for two-weeks of unemployment much less the recommended 3-6 months. Second, we now understand how fragile our educational ecosystem is with regard to its dependence on IT and the internet. Third, members of our community now have a better understanding of the true need for financial literacy. 

The need for what we offer to our community has never been so apparent. Our client base is growing and we have more of our old clients now listening to our advice. Some of them are learning to work from home, some are learning how to search for new careers online after being employees of the same company for over 20 years, and some are starting businesses after realizing how vulnerable they are as employees. 

Your contributions to this work have meaning beyond any expression with the use of words. Every dollar matters and is put to use to provide books, emergency assistance and to offset the cost of our staff. Be assured that we are making the best use of these precious resources!