Girl
Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is excited to announce a new, multi-year partnership
with Toyota Financial Services (TFS), which has pledged $2.1 million to help girls
become self-reliant, financially literate, and capable of leveraging their
talent, resources, and personal business values to build a stronger economy and
healthier communities. With less than half the states in the U.S. offering
financial education in schools, it is vital that girls are provided access to
solid, foundational information on the world of personal finance.
With the
launch of “Driving My Financial Future,” GSUSA and TFS will empower 26,000
underserved girls across the country with tools and resources necessary not
only to feel confident in their financial decisions but also to build financial
capability.
According
to the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), girls clearly desire financial
empowerment skills to help them achieve their dreams. In fact, 90 percent say
it is important for them to learn how to manage money and 68 percent are
interested in learning about how to save money and plan for the future. Girls
are extremely optimistic about their futures but admit to lacking the financial
confidence and knowledge they need to achieve their dreams.
”At Girl
Scouts, we have always known that financial literacy is a crucial component of building
leadership skills in girls,” said Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the
USA. “Programs like our iconic Girl Scout Cookie Program are designed to
provide girls with the tools they need to be financially savvy leaders in their
own lives. Through this terrific new partnership with Toyota Financial
Services, we will now be able to extend the reach of our financial literacy
programming to more than 20,000 underserved girls who will use their new skills
to make their communities and their world a better place.”
Through
Driving My Financial Future, TFS will conduct financial empowerment events
nationwide with TFS volunteers; provide college scholarships ranging from $5,000
to $20,000; and offer the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting handbooks to new Girl
Scouts in 10 councils across the country, which volunteers can then use to help
girls earn their financial literacy badges and a Toyota participation patch. In
the spirit of Financial Literacy Month, the program’s national kickoff will be
held in Los Angeles today, April 16, 2015, at the Toyota Campus in Torrance,
California, with 140 local Girl Scouts and hundreds of TFS volunteers.
“With its
unique ability to provide fun, experiential learning, the Girl Scout
organization offers TFS a real opportunity to bring Driving My Financial Future
to tens of thousands of young people across the country, and particularly to
those in underserved communities,” said Mike Groff, president and CEO of Toyota
Financial Services.
When girls
understand the value of properly managing personal finances, they are better
prepared for the realities of adulthood. GSUSA and TFS are committed to
supporting tens of thousands of girls on their road to financial empowerment.
