Written by Justin Kern, Make a Difference - Wisconsin
Jerryd Bayless reiterated his commitment to financial literacy during a guest mentoring session for teenagers in Make A Difference – Wisconsin’s Money Coach program.
Bayless recently took the stage at Milwaukee’s Messmer High School for a Q&A with local teenagers on the importance of smart saving and spending habits. Teens from across the city heard insight and anecdotes from the Bucks guard on the importance of positive financial behaviors.
“To be thrust into the opportunity that I’ve been able to have in the NBA is something where it’s very important for me to become financially literate,” Bayless said. “Make sure you’re saving as much as you can each month and budget for whatever your expenses are. Make your money work for you, that’s the next step. Hopefully (these students) will learn about that as well.”
Money Coach brings leaders from the business community into high schools and community-based organizations to give at-risk teens lessons and mentoring on financial empowerment. The program is facilitated by financial literacy nonprofit Make A Difference – Wisconsin, which has worked with more than 50,000 teenagers over the past nine years in its various programs.
A number of teenagers in the Money Coach program said they were “inspired” by the passion for financial literacy expressed by Bayless. Bayless heard from four of those students, who also presented him with a gift of a framed picture on the court before a recent Bucks game.
“I told him he inspired me to think about being consistent with my savings,” said Benito Hernandez, a senior at Ronald Reagan High School and participant in Money Coach. “It’s important to keep on the path of saving and to stay within your budget.”
The Jerryd Bayless Foundation has made support of financial literacy one of its pillars.
“Teaching kids about financial literacy and doing the right things, setting teens up for their future, it’s really important,” Bayless said. “Make A Difference is an amazing organization that’s going to continue to help people for a long time to come.”
Click here for a video and photo gallery from the Bucks on the Bayless mentoring session for Money Coach teens.
For more information on Make A Difference – Wisconsin, visit makeadifferencewisconsin.org.