FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2019
Media Contact: Mary Jo Rohrer | 212-421-2700 | mjrohrer@wise-ny.org
Voya Financial® Supports W!se Financial Literacy Program
New York, NY, – Working in Support of Education (W!se) is pleased to announce it has received a generous grant from Voya Financial® to continue to support the Financial Literacy Certification Program in New York, as well as high schools in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Financial Literacy Certification program is central to W!se’s aim to strengthen and measure financial education levels. The program supports personal finance instruction in high schools in 48 states. Students can become Certified Financially Literate™ and earn W!se’s coveted CFL™ if they take and pass W!se’s Financial Literacy Certification Test. Voya’s support will continue bring life-changing skills to more young people.
One student from Thomas Edison Career and Technical High School in Queens, New York said: “Before taking the financial literacy class, I had this constant fear that I would end up sleeping on the streets because of my father’s financial issues. He would often spend money without knowing if he had enough to even pay the bills. However, through this class I was able to learn important financial skills that aren’t taught in many schools. Skills such as, knowing how to plan for and pay bills like rent, utilities, insurance, and car payments, while making sure there is money left for essentials such as groceries, savings, etc.”
“The W!se Financial Literacy program has provided diverse and disadvantaged students with an enriching and valuable experience in enhancing their financial literacy knowledge,” said W!se President & CEO Phyllis Frankfort Perillo. “We are very grateful to Voya Financial® for their support in helping us reach students nationally.”
About Voya Foundation
Voya Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life in communities where Voya Financial operates and its employees and customers live. Voya Foundation provides grants and establishes signature partnerships in the areas of financial literacy and children’s education and fosters employee engagement to deepen our positive impact on the community. For more information, visit www.voyafoundation.com.
About Voya Financial®
Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings — to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately $14.7 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $8.6 billion in revenue in 2017. The company had $555 billion in total assets under management and administration as of Dec. 31, 2017. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family, one institution at a time — Voya’s vision is to be America’s Retirement Company®. Certified as a “Great Place to Work” by the Great Place to Work® Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible and has been recognized as one of the 2017 World’s Most Ethical Companies® by the Ethisphere Institute, as well as one of the Top Green Companies in the U.S., by Newsweek magazine. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook and Twitter @Voya.
About W!se
Working in Support of Education (W!se) is a leading educational nonprofit based in New York City with a mission to improve the lives of young people and at-risk adults through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and the workforce. Our initiatives are built on the five pillars of relevancy, real-world experiences, strong partnerships, volunteerism and assessment. For more information, visit wise-ny.org. Follow W!se on Facebook, Instagram @wisenewyork, and Twitter @wisenewyork.