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When you think about what it means to have a healthy lifestyle, a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health typically comes to mind. At Young Americans Center for Financial Education, we believe that “financial” health is also key to living a healthy lifestyle, a belief supported by long-time partner Lutheran Medical Center.
A survey reported by CNBC last February notes, “Money is many Americans’ top worry, ranking higher than health, family and work, according to BlackRock’s annual Global Investor Pulse survey.” This worry can lead to a decline in physical health, too. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.”
Young Americans Center believes that early financial education can help people worry about money less. By providing a space for young people to practice good financial habits—saving, budgeting, and using credit cards responsibly, for example—these students have a decade to make these habits stick.
AmeriTowne Citizens in the Lutheran Medical Center shop gain a hands-on lesson in financial education that helps prepare them for a lifetime of healthy financial habits.
After 10-year-old Zoey participated in Young AmeriTowne with Homestead Elementary, she wrote, “I learned that money isn’t just handled by cash, but by debit cards, credit cards, accounts… I learned that you have to record all your money transactions so that at the end of the month your bank statement agrees with you. I felt lucky to go to a program that could prepare me, and teach me for later on in life.” In Young AmeriTowne, students manage their own finances and run their own Towne of 17 shops that includes a Towne Hall, Bank, and at the Lakewood location, the Lutheran Medical Center shop.
Partnering with Young Americans is important to Lutheran Medical Center, who’s mission includes improving the health of people and communities in west Denver. By supporting Young Americans Center and the Young AmeriTowne program, Lutheran provides a hands-on lesson in financial education to help 12,400 youth develop healthy financial habits every year.
