Boys & Girls Clubs of America Honors Charles Schwab Foundation with the Champion Of Youth Award at its 2013 Great Futures Gala

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Oct 29, 2013, 09:00 ET

Prominent Supporters, including Courtney B. Vance and Chaka Khan, Salute the Work of Boys & Girls Clubs, Charles Schwab Foundation and their Impact on America's Youth

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) honored Charles Schwab Foundation with the Champion Of Youth Award at the annual Great Futures Gala in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. Schwab was recognized for its decade-long commitment to educating Boys & Girls Club teens about the basics of personal finance and importance of smart money management. Accepting the award on behalf of Charles Schwab Foundation was its president, Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, whose leadership and vision led to an alliance with BGCA and the creation of the Money Matters: Make It Count(SM) financial education program. The event brought together prominent celebrities, including Courtney B. Vance and Chaka Khan, business professionals and political leaders in support of BGCA, which serves some 4 million youth through more than 4,000 Clubs nationwide.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (PRNewsFoto/Boys & Girls Clubs of America) (PRNewsFoto/Boys & Girls Clubs of America)

BGCA presented Charles Schwab Foundation with the Champion Of Youth award for their outstanding commitment to providing financial literacy education to Boys & Girls Clubs teens. Charles Schwab Foundation President Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz accepted the award on behalf of the organization and is pictured here with Money Matters Ambassador, Austin McHenry (left) and Money Matters Music Mogul contest winner, Blake McGuire (right). (PRNewsFoto/Boys & Girls Clubs of America) (PRNewsFoto/BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131029/DC05993)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130710/MM44829-b)

"We are pleased to recognize the significant impact Charles Schwab Foundation is making by ensuring our youth are financially prepared for adulthood," said Jim Clark, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Their support over the past 10 years has allowed more than half a million teens to attain skills necessary for a financially secure future."

Charles Schwab Foundation's mission is to help individuals and families achieve financial well-being through education, volunteerism, and advocacy. Ten years ago, Charles Schwab Foundation and BGCA collaboratively developed Money Matters, a financial education program designed to help teens expand their knowledge of money management and learn the skills that lead to financial independence and well-being. Since then, the Foundation has invested nearly $12 million in BGCA's teen-centric programming, which has provided financial education to more than 500,000 teens. A new video showcases the success of the program to date.

"We're thrilled that we've found the right formula to make the basics of personal finance interesting and fun for Boys & Girls Club teens," said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of Charles Schwab Foundation. "With half a million Money Matters graduates, we've shown that Great Futures at Boys & Girls Clubs can also mean Great Financial Futures."

During 2012 alone, more than 81,000 teens completed the program. In addition, Charles Schwab Foundation has presented a total of $470,000 in college scholarship grants to 222 Boys & Girls Club teens, ages 16-18, who completed the program and demonstrated exceptional application of their new personal finance skills.

To learn more about the Money Matters program, visit moneymattersmakeitcount.com.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,000 Clubs serve some 4 million young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native American lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at http://www.bgca.org/facebook and http://bgca.org/twitter.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America