Nonprofit with mission to spread financial education expands to Stone Mountain, Tucker – The Champion Newspaper | 404-373-7779
A nonprofit that offers programs and initiatives with the mission of tackling economic inequality and financial illiteracy is now working in Stone Mountain and Tucker.
Operation HOPE, which currently hosts credit and money management programs in Atlanta Public Schools and with the Atlanta Police Department, recently opened a HOPE Inside center within a Wells Fargo branch in Stone Mountain.
On Oct. 19, DeKalb County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw joined Wells Fargo CEO and President Charlie Scharf and John Hope Bryant, Operation Hope’s founder and CEO, to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event was planned to welcome the community to the nation’s first redesigned Wells Fargo branch with a focus on programs and resources for people without a mainstream banking account and those who have a bank account but continue to use alternative services such as check cashing, said officials.
The updated Wells Fargo Stone Mountain Memorial branch, located at 6063 Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain, now has an Operation HOPE financial coach who “will seek to empower community members with financial education and guidance,” stated a press release.
“The partnership between Wells Fargo and Operation Hope is transformative,” said Bradshaw. “I am pleased with the selection of the Wells Fargo location in Stone Mountain which happens to sit on Memorial Drive along the corridor that I am focused on revitalizing. The resources at this branch site will be impactful for the business owners and residents in the area.”
On Nov. 1, officials with Operation HOPE announced that the nonprofit is the beneficiary of the donation of Truist Financial Corporation’s former Tucker branch as part of Truist’s $20 million investment to Operation HOPE for financial education and support of significant initiatives.
“The location will serve as a community hub, which will include offices, conference rooms and open spaces for educational discussions and presentations,” stated officials. “HOPE Inside coaches will have space to provide clients with financial counseling on everyday financial questions to assist them on their financial journeys.”
A press release stated that the former Truist branch, built on 1.619 acres of land, will be functional for Operation HOPE in 2023 and will be “a state-of-the-art facility.”
“The donation of this Tucker location will allow us to expand our footprint and provide much-needed financial literacy programs to more communities, more families and more individuals,” said Bryant.
According to the nonprofit’s website, additional Operation HOPE initiatives include:
• 1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB) to start, grow and scale 1 million Black-owned businesses in the next 10 years.
• City of Atlanta Child Savings which provides Atlanta Public School kindergarteners with a free savings account and a one-time deposit of $50.
• Financial literacy designed to make financial literacy fun, engaging and life changing for millions of youth and working adults in the next 10 years.
• Investors’ bill of rights to encourage financial institutions, asset managers and advisors to incorporate education on financial wellness and transparency in their offerings.
For more information, visit www.operationhope.org
