By Javier Arvelo
March 5, 2012

The United States Conference of Mayors financial literacy campaign, DollarWise, visited Milwaukee and Mayor Tom Barrett on February 22 to recognize their efforts to provide financial literacy education to their public housing residents through their Make Your Money Talk program, which is managed by the Milwaukee Housing Authority (HACM).

The Hillside Family Resource Center—a community center that offers a variety of programs to the Milwaukee population—served as the site of the reception. In a room surrounded by the booths of 15 partners and a large audience of adults and children from the community, Sherri Daniels, HACM Commissioner, and President of the Hillside Resident Council welcomed DollarWise to Milwaukee. Joining DollarWise in the front of the room were Barrett, Wisconsin State Treasurer Kurt Schuller, Wisconsin Women Business Initiative Corporation Lead Education Project Manager Amber Miller, and Housing Authority resident and Make Your Money Talk participant Anita Winston.

Upon receiving the $15,000 DollarWise check, Barrett took to the podium to address the crowd—particularly the young people present. He spoke about how proud he was to be there receiving not only DollarWise funds, but also a proclamation from State Treasurer Schuller commending the city for its participation in Wisconsin Saves Week.

The city will use the DollarWise grant to extend the successful Make Your Money Talk program beyond housing authority residents to holders of rental housing vouchers who live throughout Milwaukee.

“It is important to me that the citizens of Milwaukee have access to information about their finances and that they learn how to manage them,” said the mayor. Addressing the youth in the crowd, Barrett engaged them in conversation to teach them some common principles of finance. Briefly, the mayor spoke of savings and compound interest. Lifting the DollarWise ceremonial check, Barrett asked each of them, “What would you do with this money?” Their answers varied, but all of them automatically saw the true value of the question: money can do many things for them if they manage it well.

Barrett also congratulated Daniels and Winston for their successful completion of the Make Your Money Talk program. Winston proudly stated that at 50 years of age she has had a life-changing experience after having completed the program. “I came to it with many doubts.” Winston told DollarWise. “How can I make a ‘budget’ when I live paycheck-to-paycheck?” Well, she made it, and now she is taking full advantage of a variety of programs offered through The Hillside Family Resource Center. She is even going to school, in her words, “to come back to my community and do for others what this community has done for me.”