LOCKPORT, Ill. – Employees of NuMark Credit Union late last year headed to Shiloh Baptist Church in Lockport, Illinois, to help Pastor Wendell Martin from Mt. Olive Baptist Church (Mt. Olive) with facilitating the Legacy Builders Financial Empowerment Workshop.
The idea for the workshop was created when Pastor Martin saw an opportunity to help educate and lift-up his community members financially.
This first ever workshop event was made free and open to the whole community. Its purpose was for those who attended to learn about financial wellness and how they can reduce their financial stress to allow them the freedom to make more choices with their money. It also was open to the younger generation of these attendees and had workshops designed to teach kids about saving, budgeting, and creating healthy financial habits for their futures.
The workshop kicked off with the keynote speech from Talaat and Tai McNeely of His and Her Money, before breaking out into individual small group workshops. The small groups were a prime opportunity for the volunteers to get more involved with the attendees, who were eager to learn. Even children as young as Pre-K enjoyed the Moon Jar activity, designed to teach young kids about when to spend, save, and share their money. The event was a huge help to the attendees and the beginning of a longtime partnership between Mt. Olive Baptist Church and NuMark.
"I believe the most impactful part of the Legacy Builders Financial Empowerment Workshop was that it not only introduced many attendees to a new mindset about financial freedom, but also provided practical strategies to implement those changes,” Rev. Martin said about the workshop. “The guest speakers, Talaat and Tai McNeely, were absolutely phenomenal, and the workshops provided by NuMark Credit Union were exceptional!"
Rev. Martin has been the Senior Pastor at Mt. Olive since 2018, and during his time has advocated for building economic equality and is passionate about improving the community. It’s that passion and his continued campaigning that has allowed Rev. Martin to greatly increase the financial health of the church and its members during his time as Senior Pastor.