August $1000 Winner

“In this day and age, with everything getting so much more expensive, we’re doing our children a favor by saving for their future as early on as possible”

Congratulations to Adrianne, our August $1000 winner! Adrianne heard about Fund My Future PGH in 2017 from a colleague. Adrianne enrolled and opened an account for her 2-year-old daughter. Today, she has saving accounts for all three of her children.

Since her enrollment in Fund My Future PGH Adrianne and her husband are much more aware of the need to save. Early on in life, Adrianne was not a saver; it wasn’t until she started planning for a family that she decided to get serious about saving. Adrianne set up automatic deposits so that she has one less thing to remember. The monthly reminders help her to remember why she’s saving. 

Adrienne was excited to get the call that she had won because she knew she’d made a deposit. Her excitement only grew when she found out she was the $1,000 winner for the month. She plans to split the $500 between two of her children and deposit it into their accounts. The remaining $500 will be deposited into a 529 for her child.

August $50 Winner

“Saving money isn’t about being able to buy bigger and better things. It’s about being prepared to take care of your family”- Dave Ramsey

“Any amount of money I’m saving is for the betterment of my family; that is why I save” – Jasmine

Jasmine is an August $50 winner and this is her second time winning within two years! She had attended the virtual Fund My Future PGH Three Part Saving Series, hosted by Hosanna House two years ago. Upon completion of all three sessions, Hosanna House deposited the initial deposit into her child’s savings account. Ever since then, Jasmine has been enrolled in Fund My Future PGH and making regular monthly deposits.

Jasmine was the first in her family to graduate from college. She wasn’t prepared for the expenses of college and has significant student loan debt. She opened education accounts for her children early so they would not have the same burden. She also opened savings accounts for them so they will have funds for whatever route they choose after high school.

Imagine Jasmine’s excitement to have won twice! She hopes that her next win will be the $1000. She plans to split her winnings with both children by depositing into their accounts.

Another August $50 Winner

“Signing up for Fund My Future PGH is a great opportunity for yourself and your children to learn financial stability.”

Congratulations to Michelle, one of our $50 August winners! Michelle enrolled in Fund My Future PGH in 2017 at Mount Ararat Baptist Church during an event. After enrolling, Michelle made arrangements to open an account for her child at a local bank. Michelle always wanted to save for her children but found herself putting savings on the back burner. After enrolling in Fund My Future PGH, she knew that her children’s savings would take priority.

Michelle started saving for herself when she got her first summer job. By age 18, she had saved up for her first apartment. She was so excited to have saved the first month’s rent and security deposit. Growing up, saving was very important to Michelle. She remembers taking financial literacy while in high school. She learned how to complete a FASFA and how to do a business proposal. She also learned about credit unions, APRs, credit cards and grace periods. She feels that she really benefited from those financial literacy classes.

Michelle’s two older daughters both work part time and she has been teaching them to save $25 per paycheck. She recently had discussions with her daughters about saving for an emergency and a down payment on a house or a car. She believes that her daughters are starting to understand the concept of saving. But before her oldest daughter graduates from high school, Michelle would like for her to receive additional financial literacy classes, in addition to what she is currently receiving in high school.

When Michelle saw the email informing her that she was a winner, she was ecstatic! She knew that she would receive the prize because she has monthly transfers going into her daughters’ accounts. Michelle plans on splitting her winning between both daughters.

And Another August $50 Winner

“No matter if it’s one dollar, five dollars, or ten dollars, as long as you’re saving money for your kids, it will pay off, no matter how much.”

Teaira is another August $50 winner! She signed up for Fund My Future PGH in 2017 at the Center of Life Parent Support Group led by Ms. Geraldine Massey. Tiera had decided to enroll after hearing the presentation about the importance of saving for college and her child’s future.

In 2016 Teaira lost her job and had back surgery. When she heard about Fund My Future PGH, she was just getting back on her feet. Ms. Massey was the director of the parent group and was able to provide Teaira with supportive services and Fund My Future PGH was one of them. Teaira felt that introducing her to Fund My Future PGH was one of the best things that Ms. Massey did for her at that time.

Since her enrollment in Fund My Future PGH, Teaira started saving for all three of her children. However, in 2018 she had to close the original saving accounts that she initially started due to unforeseen circumstances. But she didn’t stay in that situation for long. She later opened accounts at another financial institution and restarted her regular deposits.

When Teaira got the call on September 1st, she was happy to have finally won after five years of saving. She plans on depositing her winnings into her child’s saving account.