PwC US Sets GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® Title for “The Largest Simultaneous Financial Literacy Lesson in Multiple Locations”
841 PwC Employees Teach 4,783 Students in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada about the Importance of Financial Literacy
LOS ANGELES, Calif., September 24, 2013 – Today, PwC US partners and staff throughout Southern California, Arizona and Nevada came together with thousands of local students and community organizations Playworks and Junior Achievement, to set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title for “The Largest Simultaneous Financial Literacy Lesson in Multiple Locations.” The record was accomplished with the support and participation of 841 PwC volunteers and 4,783 students in 18 different schools across three states. The initiative is part of PwC’s Earn Your Future campaign, a $160 million investment created to address youth education with a focus on financial literacy.
“PwC has a vested interest in our communities and the financial education of our youth,” said Brian Cullinan, Managing Partner of PwC’s Southern California, Arizona and Nevada Market. “That is why we’re so excited about the success of our Earn Your Future events today. We know PwC has an important part to play in helping to develop the next generation of responsible leaders, and it’s encouraging when we spend time with so many eager and talented young boys and girls talking about money management and financial responsibility. Through our Earn Your Future events today, we not only set a world record - we made a real impact.”
Working at 18 schools in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix, PwC volunteers taught third, fourth and fifth graders lessons on spending, saving and investing, as well as planning and other money management concepts. As part of the program, students learned the advantages and some of the difficulties of saving for short-term and long term goals. In addition, students were asked to identify a short-term financial goal (e.g., purchase a new bike, attend summer camp, or buy an amusement park ticket) and develop a plan and timetable for achieving it, including ways for them to earn money and reduce their expenses.
“It was incredible to see the students so excited about being part of this event and learning money management skills from PwC volunteers,” said Jera Turner, Principal at Grape Street Elementary School in Los Angeles. “It was a great day for our students and we all appreciated PwC’s efforts and the time they spent with us to set this world record.”
In its first year, PwC's Earn Your Future campaign impacted 500,000 youth and 18,000 educators, and partners and staff contributed 150,000 volunteer service hours to youth education and development. Additionally, PwC donated $12 million to support youth related causes. For more information on our year-one impact, view PwC's Earn Your Future Year 1 in Review.
Through Earn Your Future, PwC is working to help close the educational gap, by collaborating with schools and community organizations to drive improvement around financial literacy. Through this five-year multimillion dollar commitment, which aims to impact 2.5 million students and educators, PwC is leveraging its more than 38,000 people and their core skill set to improve the financial competency and education of our nation’s youth.
For photos from PwC’s Earn Your Future event, which set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® title for “The Largest Simultaneous Financial Literacy Lesson in Multiple Locations,” contact Jeffrey Davidson at davidson@braincomm.com.
About PwC US
PwC US helps organizations and individuals create the value they're looking for. We're a member of the PwC network of firms in 158 countries with more than 180,000 people. We're committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/US.
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