It’s hard to believe that this past year has flown by so quickly! Our fiscal year ended on May 31, so the summer months are the perfect time for us to reflect on the progress that we made this year and the impact we have had. We truly have a lot to be grateful for.
Our busiest year ever
To say that last year has been our busiest year since Launch began in 2009 is an understatement; We were able to serve more participants, offer more programs, and teach for more hours than ever!
While I’m proud to say we supported 695 people this year, that number doesn’t really register for me. Instead, I think of the names and faces of people that I have had the privilege of meeting and working with throughout the year. People that have shared their stories and have been open to learning new things to improve their current financial situation.
I have met newcomers to Canada that have been here only weeks and are trying to establish their banking in Canada. I have met new moms with infants in their arms that are interested in learning more about RESPs and how to help their children have the post-secondary education that wasn’t available for them. I have met people that have found themselves in very difficult situations and these situations have negatively impacted their finances.
No matter the circumstances, what continues to impress me and make me even more passionate about the work that we do, is when I see people learning and then taking action to improve their financial situation.
We hear over and over again, “No one has talked to me about money or taught me how to manage it before.” This feedback motivates us to continuously improve the content and accessibility of our services. Since May 2020, have offered our programs on Zoom and every year we facilitate our 8-week Dollars and Sense on Zoom 2-3 times throughout the year. However, we felt that offering a one-hour budgeting workshop with additional resources would be of interest to our community, and we were right! Stay tuned for more details about our upcoming workshops, including our Managing Debt workshop this fall.
Our first breakfast fundraiser
This year, we held our inaugural fundraiser breakfast event during Financial Literacy Month in November. It was such a success that we are hosting our 2nd annual Financial Literacy breakfast on Tuesday, November 7th. Please come join us to listen to our local speaker, Nancy Phillips. She is quite possibly, the most passionate person I have ever met when it comes to communicating the importance of having a financial education, especially for children and youth. This is our main fundraiser for the year and all funds raised go to support our local programs.
Unfortunately, our programs are needed now more than ever. We know that having a financial education makes a difference and helps people make sound financial decisions and reduce money stress. That stress has serious consequences on people’s mental health, physical health, relationships, and ability to work. Your support truly makes a difference.
Thank you for following along on our journey this year. I look forward to sharing our progress and what we are up to throughout this year.
I hope to see you in November!
Jennifer Robins
Executive Director, Launch Okanagan
