Press Releases  |  In The News  |  Awards/Recognition  |  People Are Saying  |  Contact

Press Releases back to listings 

Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - February 26, 2008
Jennifer Bryson-Harper Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
February 26, 2008

Hixson, Tennessee Resident Wins Cash Award To Support Financial Education Program For At-Risk Girls


(New York, NY, February 26, 2008) Hixson, Tennessee resident Jennifer Bryson-Harper, 30, is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of creating a better tomorrow for her community. Jennifer was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. Jennifer’s award will support Common Cents – a program offering financial education and planning for at-risk young women, many living in state homes.

Financial education and budgeting skills are rarely taught to children in state homes, or at-risk youth. Many of the residents living in these homes are children of abused women or victims of abuse themselves, and likely come from poor financial situations. While financial education is an essential tool for any successful household, it is important to ensure that women especially are learning personal financial planning, as they could one day be solely responsible for their household income.

While volunteering at the Women’s Crisis Center at the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults in Chattanooga, Jennifer was exposed to the critical financial situations of women in her community. Unfortunately, they were in extremely poor financial health and some were even facing bankruptcy. Jennifer, a Certified Financial Planner, began to share her budgeting and planning skills with the women living in the Crisis Center. During this time, she came to realize that an early financial education could prevent some of the difficulties many of these women were facing. Soon after, Jennifer contacted a state program that works with children living in group state homes and began implementing the Common Cents program.

Jennifer plans to target girls living in state homes as well as reaching out to at-risk young women through community centers and offering the services of Common Cents to any girl who needs it. Providing financial education to girls at a young age arms them with the necessary tools for achieving and maintaining personal fiscal health before succumbing to the pitfalls of poor financial planning. Jennifer explains, “By giving these girls the building blocks necessary for making good financial decisions, we can develop stronger, more financially independent and self-confident women in society.” The program will not only teach basic accounting and banking, but will also help young women take a look at other expenses such as the financial elements of owning a car including insurance, gas, and maintenance, as well as grasping the cumulative impact of small daily expenditures.

Thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Jennifer will be able to educate an estimated 200 at-risk young women in her community, a largely beneficial program especially for girls living in group state homes, as they’re expected to become 100% financially independent by the time they turn 18. Jennifer will apply the award money towards classroom supplies, curriculum and advertising. Jennifer’s community program will empower young women and support their financial independence, a skill they can take with them anywhere and pass onto future generations.

Jennifer’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund fell under the category of “Community Service.” Her proposal met the criteria to clearly present unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including Suze Orman, America’s most recognized expert on personal finance. Another judge, Lynn Stekas, noted that “teaching girls financial literacy is one of the most important lessons for girls. This program can help girls budget and learn how to save instead of getting into credit card debt! Bravo for a financial planner to volunteer this.”

back to listings