Monday, January 20, 2014
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sponsors financial seminar
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
A local sorority, in recognition of Martin Luther King Day of Service, teamed up with the YWCA of Youngstown to offer a financial workshop to the community.
The Epsilon Mu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. presented “Money Matters: Creating Dollars with Sense” on Sunday.
The sorority planned its MLK Day celebration around the theme of economic security, said Deanna Brown, vice president. The organization and the YWCA have some goals in common, so they chose to partner with them, Brown added.
“Especially about empowering women,” she said. “That’s one of their themes, and that’s also something we do as a sorority.”
This is the second year the sorority’s MLK Day event focused on economic security. The workshop was designed to equip attendees with knowledge and skills to make better financial choices and build a solid foundation to achieve personal financial goals.
The program fit well with the YWCA’s mission, said Varada Bhide, YWCA communications coordinator.
The sorority was “excited because the YWCA’s mission is eliminating racism, empowering women,” she said. “And we’ve always wanted to do something with Martin Luther King Day of Service, so we’re glad that we partnered with them.”
Some YWCA residents participated in the program.
“Financial literacy is one of the major components of YWCA’s education piece,” Bhide said.
Linda Ellis, a YWCA resident, said the program sounded interesting, so she decided to attend.
It offered useful information, she said.
“There are so many young women that don’t even know about what resources are out here for them,” she said.
She enjoyed speaker Raeshaun Moore’s personal story about obtaining a college degree.
“It’s inspiring me to want to go back,” Ellis said.
Ellis started a degree in accounting but never finished. She will be 60 in February.
“I would like to find out what resources are maybe available for me,” she said.
A group of sixth-grade students from Farrell, Pa., participated as well. They are members of Epsilon Mu Omega’s emerging young leaders program.
“They teach them about civic engagement, scholarship, leadership and community service and things like that,” said Nichole Craig, parent of a student in the group.
She liked the MLK Day program.
“I think it’s very good for the community to come together and to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.,” she said.
As part of the event, the students sang, but they also learned about financial literacy.
Madonna Chism Pinkard, community-relations director at 21 WFMJ-TV, was moderator for the event. Speakers were Raeshaun Moore, senior financial consultant, and Diane Gardener, LPL financial adviser. Lunch and door prizes were included in the event.