“Stand Up For Financial Literacy” Campaign Launches Educational Initiative For Students In The Nation’s 30,000 High Schools

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Stand Up For Financial Literacy announced the launch of its national campaign to bring financial advisors, celebrities and sports figures to the country's 30,000 high schools as part of an innovative volunteer program to educate students in the basics of financial literacy. The campaign is currently inviting financial services professionals, companies and organizations to participate in the inaugural program, which will be promoted during the 2015 Super Bowl and will roll out during National Financial Literacy Month in April of 2015.

The public-private partnership is committed to organizing 30,000 financial professionals and influencers to volunteer to spend one day in the nation's high schools every April to teach students basic money management skills and concepts. Scheduled to be fully rolled out by 2020, the campaign was created by The Kelley Group and is hosted by the kasina Youth Foundation, with contributing partners Direxion Funds and the Alliance of Financial Leaders.

"Young people attend school to learn how to meet the challenges that lie ahead of them, and yet they spend little or no time acquiring basic money management skills that are essential both to their future well-being and to a healthy economy," said Sarano Kelley, Founder and CEO of The Kelley Group. "Our mission is to mobilize the financial services community to engage students in every high school in the country so that tomorrow's decision-makers are equipped to make wise financial decisions."

The Stand Up For Financial Literacy campaign will match financial professionals with an athlete or celebrity to speak with students at a high school in their community. Volunteers will deliver a financial literacy curriculum developed either by their own firm or by a financial industry organization, such as the U.S. Treasury or the FDIC. Program components may include budgeting, spending, taxation, savings, risk management and investments.

"Financial literacy gives young people the tools they need to gain control of their destiny but studies show that less than 20 percent of teachers feel prepared to teach this important subject in school," said Lee S. Kowarski, President of the kasina Youth Foundation. "We know that members of the financial services community are deeply committed to contributing to the good of their local communities, and this campaign gives them a perfect opportunity to do so."

The Stand Up For Financial Literacy campaign will be holding monthly conference calls with participants beginning in early 2014, and will also be sending out quarterly newsletters to volunteers.

"We welcome all financial services professionals, firms and organizations to join us in supporting this unique initiative," said Andy O'Rourke, Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Direxion Funds. "Professionals will gain the huge satisfaction of helping young people better understand the financial choices they face. In doing so, they will also have the opportunity to take a leadership role in their communities and expand their local networks."

For more information and to register as a volunteer, please visit www.standup4fl.org.

About Stand Up For Financial Literacy

Stand Up for Financial Literacy is a national initiative designed to create a volunteer partnership of financial services professionals, celebrities, sports figures and educators in order to deliver a one-day financial literacy educational program to all American high schools every April as part of National Financial Literacy Month.

SOURCE Stand Up For Financial Literacy