“Our family really believes that financial literacy education is severely lacking in our primary and secondary school system and it is a critically important skill for all British Columbians,” says Paul Geyer, Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Venture Capitalist and JABC Board Member, on his incentive for funding JABC.
“Too often we see young people graduate from school with no real knowledge or skill of how to manage their finances and invest for the future. This results in a significant number of people living beyond their means with large amounts of unsustainable debt. The best way to address this is through education at a young age, when people can develop healthy financial habits.”
The Geyer Family, along with four other philanthropic families have formed the Economic Futures Council, a group established to meet the educational needs of B.C. youth now and as educational needs change.
Their investment, which will be paid over three-years, will help increase JA program deliveries by 50% by 2023, a goal based on JABC’s Strategic Plan Bright Futures for all BC’s Youth.
The focus of the Geyer Family gift is to support the delivery of financial literacy programs to students all across the province. In addition, the Geyer Family played a role in JABC’s 2020 Financial Literacy Month fundraising campaign by matching all $500 campaign donations.
“We are so thrilled with the Geyer Family’s gifts to JABC,” says Sheila Biggers, President and CEO of JABC. “Their pledge means more students in B.C. will have the opportunity to develop the financial literacy skills and education they need at a young age. We are very thankful.”
