Project Make [it] count: Rockies

Hosting a financial information class for inner city high school students

My name is Theresa Bradley, and I live in Denver, Colorado. I have been with the PwC office in Denver for 4 1/2 years and have spent all of those years in the Systems and Process Assurance practice. I am a senior associate. I am originally from Maryland but moved to Denver after college to see a different part of the country—now I'm not sure I could ever live anywhere else. I married the most wonderful and patient man in the world, Matt Bradley, in May 2006 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We have no children, but two dogs and a cat are enough for us for now!

What does it mean to me to make it count?

To make it count is to do something a bit more than just live for myself. It is to take a few hours of my day and really make an impact with my time and energy by helping others.

What is my idea?

A high school in a somewhat tough neighborhood in Denver, Manual High School, closed in 2006. The school reopened in fall 2007 to freshmen only—and each year after will accept a new freshman class. By 2011, it will have a freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class. I live near the school, as do some of my friends. I would like to use the money to host basic financial informational sessions to students at the school to help them grow into fiscally responsible adults. Some topics we would like to cover include how credit card interest is compounded, how the stock market works, and building a personal budget. http://manual.dpsk12.org/

Why is this project important to you?

I moved to this neighborhood only two years ago. It was the first house I lived in since living with my parents, and I instantly felt a bond to my home. The neighborhood is where my house is—but it is also more than that. It is a place where friends live, where parks are available, and where schools are for children. I would like to make a difference in this neighborhood that means so much to me by sharing valuable knowledge and experience that I have with local youth.

Week one experience

Week one was mainly administrative. I began reaching out to the school principal and was received warmly. However, he is a very busy person and directed me to the volunteer coordinator, whom I will meet with next week. I also received the funding and began working with my fellow presenters to determine the best topics and also how best to encourage participation in an after-school event. We decided that the best thing to do with the money would be to provide pizza and beverages to the students as well as PwC branded gifts.

How did I arrive at my decision to work with/contribute to the organization/charity/individual/people I chose?

I decided to work with the high school because it is very close to my home and in the neighborhood that I have quickly grown to love. The school has many at-risk students, and I hope that any information I can provide them regarding personal financial management will be skills that they can use quickly in life. Also, the students' parents will be invited so hopefully they can use the information we will provide as well.

What do I hope to accomplish during my experience?

I would like to help as many students (and parents) who are interested in personal financial management. I hope the event draws about 30 parents and students, but if I can only help one person, then it will make all the time and effort well worth it.

How did I get others involved?

As mentioned before, this neighborhood is one that I care greatly about. It is also the neighborhood where many of my friends live. My husband (obviously) lives with me, as does my best friend from college. Three blocks away is another close friend, Carla, who is a fund manager. I met her a few years ago when she was a manager with PwC here in Denver. Another close friend, Laura, also lives in the neighborhood just four blocks away. Laura is from Colorado and is also a senior associate in the SPA practice at PwC here in Denver.

Helping families too

This week I met with the volunteer organizer. She had the wonderful idea of inviting parents to the event as well. She also said that she would help me work with local vendors to provide discounted food and beverages for the event. We also spent additional time working on our presentations to provide valuable information to the youths and parents at the school.

How did your recipient(s) benefit from your experience?

The participants will gain knowledge on basic financial management, including how to create and use a budget (and how to open a savings account), how loans work, how credit cards work, and how the stock market is. Luckily, one of the PwC alumni who will be presenting with me is going to tackle the stock market session!

How did you benefit from your experience?

The experience definitely taught me how to be flexible. I needed to work with lots of different schedules to make this work: PwC's timeline, the school's curriculum, my busy work schedule, and the schedule of those who would be helping me present. With a little perseverance and flexibility, a common goal can be achieved.

What information was provided to the students?

I worked with the school to put this together (IT'S GREAT!)

What are you most looking forward to?

I was not expecting to work with parents as well as students, but after the suggestion was brought up, it seemed like a great idea. I am really looking forward to helping families as a whole, such as helping students who would like to learn how to apply for college loans and understand how credit cards work. I hope to provide parents with the tools needed to start the dialogues with their children around personal financial planning.

Overcoming obstacles

During this week, I faced my biggest challenge. Timing was not working out. PwC needed the completion of the project to occur in early December, but unfortunately, due to curriculum, the school would not be able to get us in until mid-January (despite earlier conversations). After much scrambling, we worked it out so that the project could occur in January.

Also during this week, we worked with the school to determine what materials would be distributed to the students to encourage participation; see above.

Ultimately, this was the most difficult but most rewarding week. Through everyone's hard work and flexibility, we were able to let the project continue.