Throughout 2014: Revitalization and significant enhancements to our coalition website, http://www.Iowajumpstart.org. This work will continue in 2015.
Member spotlight features on an active homepage.
Blog posts from our website are now automatically posted to our Facebook page.
New Resources page highlights member’s educational tools to promote financial literacy.
December 2013 – January 2014: Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge. Iowa Jump$tart, Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, Iowa College Access Network, and the Iowa Department of Education partnered with Iowa Student Loan® to offer 30 awards of $1,000 each to Iowa high schools for participating in the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge. More than 2,800 students from 83 Iowa high schools participated by taking a financial literacy assessment test created and administered by Ednalysis, a central Iowa educational research company. The participating schools were entered into a random drawing to select the 30 winners. Each $1,000 prize is intended to improve the school’s financial literacy programs and its scholarship fund.
April 2014: April proclaimed Financial Literacy Awareness Month in Iowa. Encouraged by Iowa Jump$tart member Iowa College Aid, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad proclaimed April as Financial Literacy Awareness Month in Iowa.
April 5-12, 2014: Money Smart Week Iowa. Iowa Jump$tart coordinated the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Money Smart Week in Iowa. There were 13 primary regions participating around the state.
Within those, more than 170 partnering organizations hosted over 160 events in 18 Iowa counties, reaching 9,662 total attendees
The regions coordinated the distribution of over 500,000 Money Smart Week promotional items across the state.
The annual MoneySmart Investor conference and MoneySmart Expo, held at Drake University, drew over 150 attendees.
320,000 newspaper tabs were distributed. The tab, inserted in 12 major newspapers,discussed a variety of financial topics and included the events calendar.
Awarded one state winner a scholarship for the Money Smart Kid essay contest (over 250 entries), and named 5 honorary mentions.
The poster contest had more than 2500 entries. Three statewide winners and several local winners were awarded prizes.
The GeoCache for College Cash contest prize (toward college tuition) was awarded to a student from Dordt College.
Extended Money Smart Week’s outreach by
Providing Ben Franklin costumes to communities for school visits
Offering a Scout night template for a fun night to earn badges
Providing MSW museum displays for use in libraries and lobbies
Shredding
Events in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Creston, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Quad Cities, Sioux Center, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Iowa City, Fort Dodge and Webster City.
Hundreds of participants shredded almost 60,000 pounds.
April 8-9, 2014: State Coalition Leaders Meeting. Iowa Jump$tart representative met with National Jump$tart officials, partners, and other state coalition leaders in Washington, DC.
July 17, 2014: The 14th Annual Personal Financial Literacy Conference was held at DMACC in Ankeny with 86 registered, 75 actual attendance. Nearly half of those registered were k-12 Educators, the conference’s target audience. Highlights of the 1-day conference included:
Keynote speaker, Dr. Mary Suiter, Assistant Vice President and Economic Education Officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Opening general session with Kenneth McDonnell from the Office of Financial Education for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
National Jump$tart update from Bill Cheeks, Eastern Regional Director
Three separate breakout session time slots
Fifteen conference exhibitors
September 2014: Financial Literacy Work Team. Iowa Jump$tart members participated in the release of recommendations for improving financial literacy across the state with the governor’s office. The recommendations were developed by a 2014 Financial Literacy Work Team that included a working group of state officials from the Department of Education and representatives from the business and higher education community, including several Iowa Jump$tart Coalition members. A financial literacy summit is a potential outcome and extension of this work team.
November 2014: National Educator Conference. Iowa Jump$tart and its coalition members collectively sponsored 4 Iowa teachers to attend the Jump$tart National Educator Conference in Los Angeles, California.
During 2014: Seven (7) new member organizations joined the Iowa Jump$tart Coalition!
