Grow financial skills through Orcas Money Smart

||| FROM SOPHIE TIMIN for ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER |||

Would you like to join a free financial education program as a participant or a mentor? Orcas Community Resource Center is gearing up for its third round of Orcas Money Smart, a financial education and mentorship program in which participants collaborate with volunteer mentors to grow their understanding of personal finance topics.

Mentors guide participants through topics including budgeting, savings, credit reports and scores, emergency preparedness, and more. Previous participants shared that they were motivated to join Orcas Money Smart for personal growth and community involvement. Participants also mentioned that they saw the program as an opportunity to learn how to deal with financial challenges and better provide for their families.

100% of participants from our last group reported enhanced financial knowledge, improved ability to manage their finances, ability to use their newfound knowledge on their own, and high satisfaction with the program’s mentorship and curriculum.

Money Smart mentor Nick Johns shared, “I loved seeing in the eyes of my mentees a growing awareness of their own capability! Each of them had more going for them than they realized, and it was awesome to see the realization that they have skills”. Nurturing mentees confidence and seeing them meet their financial goals is one of the benefits of being a mentor.

Money Smart participants have accomplished many goals including paying off taxes, obtaining health insurance, determining credit-building strategies, and building an emergency fund.

One participant shared, “I really benefited from creating SMART goals and having a mentor to talk about them with. It helped me organize my thoughts and ideas. Getting held accountable for following up on them was also really helpful for me.”

The next round of Orcas Money Smart will run from September 2024 until spring 2025, meeting twice a month for the first 3 months to cover key topics. Sessions will last 2 hours and take place at the Funhouse from 5-7 pm on Monday evenings. Regular meetings with mentors (1-2 per month) will begin early on and will be scheduled by the mentor and participant.

Contact the Resource Center via email at info@orcascrc.org or phone at 360-376-3184 if you are interested in participating as a student or mentor. Please help spread the word about this opportunity to friends, family, and neighbors.