Save Up Program

Two weeks after closing on her first home, the house caught fire, destroying all of her family’s possessions.

Take a moment to ask yourself, how prepared are you to make the tough decisions that need to be made in this scenerio.  One Save Up graduate, Ms. Munson lived through this exact situation and everything she had achieved while in the program, everything she lost and will regain as a result of the fire, she attributes to her faith and resilience acquired from money saving lessons learned at RISE.   

“People say to me, ‘You lost everything, but you’re still smiling.’ But I didn’t lose everything,” she said. “I still have the gift of life. My sons and I are still standing strong. Sometimes God tests your faith, but I know something good will come out of this.”

Save Up is a matched savings account program that teaches participants to create a budget based on their income and expenses and to establish a bank account and purchase assets, such as homes, small businesses and vehicles.  Within 10 months of beginning the program, Ms. Munson had saved enough money paired with matching funds from RISE for a down payment for a home.

“The program gave me a refresher on invaluable concepts, such as how to increase my credit score and saving money for purchases and emergency funds,” she said.

RISE provided Ms. Munson with the critical tools to purchase and keep a home, but she said her sons are the clear motivation for her accomplishments. Please consider a donation to the Save Up program at the RISE Foundation today.  This program is so successful that 85% of program graduates continue to save and implement the gains in knowledge acquired through Save Up classes.  With your help we can reach many more working families and guide them toward homeownership and self-sufficency.