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"Moneywise" at Israel Baptist Church in Historic East Baltimore drew a nice turn-out last Saturday.

Associated Black Charities Hosts Financial Empowerment Event

(BALTIMORE – July 5, 2012) – Last Saturday, Kelvin Boston’s 16-city “Moneywise Empowerment Tour” descended on Baltimore. Sacramento, Somerset (NJ), and Detroit were the first three stops in January, February and March 2012.

Diane Bell-McKoy, Pres. & CEO of Associated Black Charities of Maryland (ABC). ABC is committed to closing the wealth gap for African Americans - no matter how difficult the task. Prior to this, Bell-McKoy was Pres. & CEO of Baltimore's $100 million federally-funded Empowerment Zone.

“It’s about us empowering people - right here in Baltimore,” said Boston.

The Moneywise Empowerment Tour is the outreach program for the Moneywise with Kelvin Boston public television series. Since 2006 the Moneywise Empowerment Tour has served more than 30,000 African American consumers, military members, and their families in the United States, Japan, Bahrain (Middle East) and Europe.

This results-oriented motivational tour features an opening keynote presentation by Kelvin Boston (Moneywise TV series host) and workshops with subject matter experts on Avoiding Foreclosures, Mortgage Scams, Reducing Debts, Increasing Savings, Financial Planning, Buying an R-E-O Home, Starting a Small Business and Investing Online. In select cities, the tour will also feature special presenters from governmental agencies, financial experts, and special guest speakers. The seminars are free to the public and are held from 9 AM to 4 PM on Saturdays. This national tour is designed to help minority households disproportionately impacted by the recession take action to protect their homes, communities and financial resources.

According to event sponsor Diane Bell-McKoy, Pres. and CEO of Associated Black Charities, “We’re excited about the [Moneywise Faith & Financial Fitness Empowerment Seminar] because it is about what ABC is always about - closing the wealth gap for African Americans.”

When asked how to measure progress on her team’s diligent efforts to close the wealth gap for blacks, she replied, “Measuring it is challenging because the reasons that we have such a gap are so pervasive and built into so many structures and systems.” She added, “And so we know we can help people actually increase their wages by getting them additional skills – and that is very measurable; but, the longer term goal is how do we also help change the systems inside the places of unemployment that prevent them from going up the ladder. Things like that are much harder.”

COMPLETE MONEYWISE 2012 Schedule

The 2012 Moneywise Empowerment tour started in January 2012 and ends in December 2012. Tour locations and dates are subject to change. The Moneywise Empowerment Tour’s national presenting sponsor is E*TRADE Financial. The tour’s corporate sponsors in selected cities include the US Small Business Administration, FDIC, Neighbor Work America’s Mortgage Scam Alert, and ICMA-RC.

Tags: Associated Black Charities Hosts Financial Empowerment Event, Kelvin Boston’s “Moneywise Faith & Financial Fitness Empowerment Seminar” 16-city Tour Hits Israel Baptist: CLOSING THE WEALTH GAP FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS