2009 Annual Report

MONEYWEEKHOUSTON.ORG
Dear Money Week Houston Partners,

Congratulations to all for an extremely successful Money Week Houston.

Maybe last year Hurricane Ike derailed our plans for the First Annual
Money Week Houston, but this year Mother Nature helped us host a
tremendous week of events.

Money Week Houston is a coalition of approximately 200 partner organizations with a common goal to educate
consumers about money management. In accomplishing this goal, 160 free classes, seminars and activities were
held to generate awareness of financial education programs on topics such as saving, using credit wisely, and
financial education for youths. Money Week Houston partners include for-profit corporations, financial
institutions, government agencies, schools, libraries, nonprofit organizations, media and others who actively
participated in promoting, financing and delivering these classes.
It is very important for consumers to have as much knowledge as possible to make sound financial decisions. With
your participation and effort, Money Week Houston helps this become a reality. With such dedicated and talented
partner organizations, we are confident that Money Week Houston will grow and continue to be a tremendous
success.

We hope you find this report to be informative and helpful. Congratulations again on a job well done.

WxÇ|áx f{tÇ~Ä|Ç
Denise Shanklin
Event Coordinator

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What is Money Week Houston?
Money Week Houston (MWH) consists of a series of educational activities to help consumers learn how to manage their personal
finances. MWH is committed to enhancing the financial literacy of our community by providing resources and information to
individuals. The future success of our community begins now and a more financially educated community is a more financially
empowered one.

Houstonians from every walk of life focused on financial literacy during the inaugural MWH campaign, held April 19-25, 2009 at
sites throughout the greater Houston area. Over the course of the week, 160 free public events were held at public libraries, churches,
schools and community centers. Consumers were offered a variety of opportunities to increase their financial literacy and learn to
better manage their personal finances. Workshops, seminars and other activities targeted diverse audiences, from seniors and women
to unbanked workers and youth.

The week’s activities are coordinated and put on by local partner groups that include financial institutions, community based
organizations, government agencies, for-profit businesses, schools, and colleges. Event topics range from basic budgeting to
advanced investing.

An on-line calendar featuring MWH events was available to consumers to help them select classes or seminars. Consumers can access
the MWH calendar and community page year round (www.moneyweekhouston.org) to obtain additional online resources, post and
read financial tips and sign up for financial education alerts.

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Money Week Houston In Action
Two key events preceded the main week of activities. An “Economic Stimulus Town Hall Forum” featuring Kelvin Boston of PBS’s
Moneywise was held at Communications Workers of America – Local 6222 on Friday, April 17. On the following day, April 18, a
Money Smart Military Resource Fair was held at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.

For the official kickoff, MWH partners gathered at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch (FRB – Houston) on Monday
morning, April 20. Highlights of the event included presentation of the student winners of Capital One’s “Money Smart Kid” essay
contest. The contest awarded a $5,000 college scholarship to one winner each at the middle school and high school level. Students
Victoria Edrington from Lamar High School and Alexandria Hawkins from Fort Settlement Middle School in Sugar Land read their
winning essays and were congratulated by U.S. Congressman Al Green. Houston City Councilwoman Wanda Adams acknowledged
the students and Mayor Bill White and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis both sent proclamations recognizing the program.

Attendees at the kickoff event also enjoyed a thought-provoking panel on “Best Practices in Financial Education” moderated by
Kelvin Boston (Moneywise). Panelists included Shannon Buggs (Houston Chronicle), Laura Jaramillo (Wells Fargo), Debby Loomis
(Texas Department of Banking), Alfreda Norman (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), Tim Shaunty (Texas Council on Economic
Education), Brooke Stephens (author), and Eloy Villafranca (FDIC).

Other notable events of the week included a “Women’s Financial Fitness Day” held on April 21 at the University of Houston –
Downtown which featured keynote speaker, Muriel Siebert, the first woman member of the NYSE, and a “Financial Literacy
Carnival” held April 23 and 24 at Denver Harbor Multiservice Center that featured City Controller Annise Parker and Harris County
Sheriff Adrian Garcia. On April 22, high school students and teachers enjoyed lively educational activities at the “100
Teens….Making Houston Money Smart” celebration held at the FRB – Houston. Interactive activities were facilitated by Frost and
Regions Banks.

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Results
In total, 160 classes, workshops and activities were held during MWH, empowering 3,235 adults, young adults and students. Of those
160 events, some demographic information was collected from participants in 50, or 31%, of the sessions. By individual attendees, at
least some data was collected from 787 attendees, or 24% of the total participants.

Of the 787 attendees that completed surveys, 229 were men and 558 were women, or 29% and 71% respectively. The age and
ethnicity of the audience was diverse, as displayed by the two following illustrations.

Money Week Houston Age Groups Money Week Houston Ethnicity Groups

4% 6%
11%
26% 18%
51%

2 2% 2%

31 % 25%
4%

<18 18-24 25-34 35-49 50-65 >65 African American Asian Hispanic White Other

The content in this section is only representative of those who completed the survey. 4
The educational attainment and annual household income levels of the attendees were equally diverse.

Highest Level of Education Attained

21% - Some High School
20% - High School Graduate
17% - Some College Education
20% - College Degree
11% - Graduate Degree
11% - Prefer Not to Answer

Annual Household Income Range

28% - Below $10,000
11% - $10,000 to $14,999
17% - $15,000 to $24,999
18% - $25,000 to $34,999
18% - $35,000 to $74,999
8% - Above $75,000

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Impact
When asked how valuable they found the MWH events they attended, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Of the responders,
64% (495) found it very valuable and 34% (266) found it valuable. Only 2% (15) found little to no value.

When attendees were asked if they learned information that would help them in the future, they indicated their future decisions would
be impacted by what they heard in the sessions.

• 14% (85) of responders said that they would be more aware of financial risks.
• 18% (112) of responders said they would make informed choices about money management.
• 9% (52) of responders said they would locate new resources for further learning.
• 19% (116) of responders said they would take effective action to improve their financial well being.
• 36% (219) of responders said they would do all of the above.
• 4% (22) of the responders said they learned information that would impact them in other ways.

Furthermore, the attendees were asked if as a result of attending one session, they would be likely to make positive steps in the very
near future. Their responses are displayed in the illustration below.
Change the way you manage money?
How Likely Are You to:

18 Visit MWH website for information on upcoming sessions?

29
175
279

12 Change the way you manage money?

31
278
4 23

6 Recommend a MWH event to friends and family?

9
266
495

0 100 200 300 400 500

Very Likely Likely Unlikely Very Unlikely 6
Promotion
The MWH website was the primary method of marketing the events. Visitors to the site were able to access an on-line calendar
searchable by date, time, topic, and zip code. Leading up to MWH, the website received thousands of visits per week. During MWH,
100,000 visitors came to the site. The week following the events, 15,000 visits were posted and interest remains steady to this day.
The site has financial education resources, links, and web tools.

In addition to the website, hundreds of posters and flyers were distributed across the city in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. The
Houston Public Library System printed book marks and paper calendars that recapped all of the classes offered in their locations.
Also, all partners used their electronic data bases to distribute e-blasts about the event.

The media also assisted in promoting the event. FOX 26 television station provided coverage each day during MWH and support
from major radio stations included live interviews on Biz Radio & Radio One’s 97.9 “The Boxx”. Furthermore, the activities were
featured in The Houston Business Journal and community based publications.

How Did You Hear About

Money Week Houston?
4 50 420
4 00

3 50

3 00

2 50

2 00 173
1 50

1 00
45 52
50
9 14 17
0
Radio Newspaper TV Inte rnet M y Employer Word of Other
Broadcasting Mouth

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Special Thanks
After MWH, the partners nominated their peers to be recognized for their outstanding service to the project. The following partners
were awarded the coveted Benjy Award at the wrap up meeting and celebration on June 26:

• Anna Campbell, Women Business Owners

• Capital One Bank
• Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas – Houston Branch
• Houston Public Library System
• Houston READ Commission
• The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston

MWH would also like to thank the following committee chairs:

• Adult Education – Jackie Aguilar (Houston READ Commission)

• Colleges & Universities – Tammy Wilsker (Skills for Living)
• Community Based Organizations – Thelma Dennis (Internal Revenue Service)
• Fundraising – Carol Lazard (NID-HCA)
• K-12 – Trina Finley (Harris County Department of Education)
• Military – Olivia Bush (Bush Cares)
• Public/Transitional Housing – Eva Thibaudeau (Coalition for the Homeless)
• Religious Communities – Glenda Kizzee (Houston Area Urban League)
• Small Business Community – Manuel Gonzalez (Small Business Administration)
• Women’s Initiative – Anna Campbell (Women Business Owners)
• Workplace – La Vera Prestage (Ameriprise Financial)