Community

Low Income, High Potential: Let’s Bring Financial Literacy Where It Matters Most

Unitus partners with Impact Northwest to help increase financial literacy and education.

The need for financial literacy is urgent; the time is now.

Impact NW has already built the infrastructure. For decades, they’ve offered an incredible amount of social services to low-income communities, including:

  • career apprenticeships
  • life skills training
  • family support services

Unitus is helping in trademark fashion: by sharing financial education to help the people in our communities become financially independent.

“With a program like this, everyone wins: the students, our community, the Portland Metro economy, and even beyond that.” -Lori Williams

Want to build financial independence? Start early.

Through our partnership with Impact NW, we can cater our financial literacy training toward high school students around Portland Metro, especially those unlikely to attend college.

With their already deep network of community connections, they are granting us valuable access to Portland Public Schools and Industry Leaders, allowing us to provide these resources for these high school students.

Our goal is to help these students build careers, balance adult budgets, and rise up in life.

Committed to the community

“Unitus is committed to giving every effort toward enabling our members to become financially self-sufficient and successful,” said Lori Williams, the Unitus Business Development Officer who developed the relationship with Impact NW.

“We work with our members every day to help them reach their financial goals and achieve their dreams. With a program like this, everyone wins: the students, our community, the Portland Metro economy, and even beyond that.”

At last, schools are teaching these crucial skills

Six high schools in Portland currently participate in the program, including:

  • Franklin High School
  • Centennial High School
  • Rosemary Anderson High School
  • Reynolds Learning Academy
  • Fir Ridge High School
  • David Douglas High School

Students receive extra credit for completing these financial courses and can take them before or after school.

Williams has already hosted four financial training courses for students.

“These courses, combined with vocational training that Impact NW provides, fill a huge need for these young people,” added Williams. “What an honor to partner with an organization so committed to helping these kids succeed.”

Learn more about Impact NW

Impact NW has been helping people prosper since 1966 through a community of support.

What started with four neighborhoods coming together to combat poverty in SE Portland has grown into a collective of services working to provide a safety net and a springboard for low-income residents in our neighborhoods.

Impact NW now serves more than 36,000 residents throughout Portland Metro.

Learn more about them at impactnw.org/.


About the Author: Jacob Schnee joined Unitus as Marketing Specialist in March 2015 and transitioned to Marketing Communications Specialist in March 2017.

His experience has spanned hospitality, business development, consulting, and marketing in various industries along the east coast, west coast and in between.

When he is not developing internal and external communications for Unitus, he is engaging in recreational fitness, studying personality types and exploring the outdoors with his wife, dog, and baby.

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