JP Morgan Chase Hosts Back-to-School Event at Summerhill

JP Morgan Chase hosted a back-to-school event for students and families at the Summerhill Community Center on Saturday, July 13. To encourage sound financial habits, the bank’s community team hosted five informative workshops ranging from Investing 101 to Building and Understanding Credit.

Community residents of all ages, races and economic statuses gathered at the center for the company’s second annual back-to-school event. Chase purposefully chose the workshops to ensure that people of all ages could benefit from them, according to Bridget Killings, managing director and divisional director of community and business development at JPMorgan Chase. The premise of the event is that you’re never too young or too old to learn financial literacy.

“What we love today is that parents bring their kids to school to get this training. So not only are the parents getting the training, but the kids are getting the training. And once they leave, the parents can continue that training at home, which is applicable to all aspects of life,” Killings said.

Statistically, Black and Brown communities do not discuss finances at home as deeply as other communities. This event gave them the opportunity to gain new information to be able to effectively discuss and have those discussions around the kitchen table at home.

“You don’t want your children to grow up struggling, so it’s best to teach them about finances and money management from a young age,” said community resident Annesheia Hill.

Emerging 100 Atlanta partnered with Chase to coordinate this event because its mission aligns with the banking company’s operations. Its goal is to serve as a reflection not only of Black youth, but of the community as a whole.

“We have a mission obligation to serve the community, to empower them and to inspire them,” said Daniel Farr, co-chair of Emerging 100 Atlanta. “What they see is what they become. We want to make sure that we serve alongside them, never in front, never behind, but always alongside them.”

To ease the burden of back-to-school shopping, Chase distributed 400 backpacks and school supplies. This allows parents to preserve their funds and apply the financial advice they learned during these sessions to invest in themselves and their children.

“As a mother of five, I know that back-to-school season can be very stressful. Our goal today is to help ease the burden on parents. It means a lot to us to be able to support and provide for our community,” said Ladonna Murphy, executive director and market head of banking at JPMorgan Chase.

The company’s community team hosted a carnival-style event outside the center with games and treats that appealed to the youngsters: popcorn, Jenga, Connect 4, ice cream and music. Finally, Harry the Hawk of the Atlanta Hawks arrived to interact with the kids and take pictures with guests.

“I think financial education classes are important for building generational wealth, and I didn’t really know how to teach my kids that, so I thought this was a great opportunity for us to come and take advantage of a free resource in our neighborhood,” said Summerhill resident Miesha Lanes.

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