BBVA Compass Foundation funds new hub for financial education in Austin

The BBVA Compass Foundation awarded Goodwill $250,000 to help build the facility. The BBVA Compass Center for Financial Education will provide financial literacy services including instruction on overall financial health and understanding the basics of personal finance, budgeting, saving and managing credit. Goodwill program participants, as well as students of The Goodwill Excel Center adult high school and the GCTA, are eligible for financial literacy services. Goodwill anticipates serving an additional 1,100 people annually in financial education.

Petet: Goodwill Central Texas has been tireless in its efforts to empower people to work and educate our communities, and our financial commitment reflects our sharp focus on accelerating those efforts

“Goodwill Central Texas has been tireless in its efforts to empower people to work and educate our communities, and our financial commitment reflects our sharp focus on accelerating those efforts and bridging the knowledge gap so that more people can take better control of their financial lives,” said BBVA Compass Austin Market CEO Joe Petet. “This partnership will serve as a model for our efforts to establish a network of financial education centers throughout the bank’s footprint.”

Petet spoke Tuesday as representatives from Goodwill Central Texas, including President and CEO Jerry Davis, gathered at the future site of the BBVA Compass Center for Financial Education at 1015 Norwood Park Blvd. for official recognition of the gift.

“We are honored and very appreciative of this generous gift from the BBVA Compass Foundation. This collaboration is reflective of the longstanding partnership between Goodwill and BBVA Compass and our shared undertaking to address specific community needs,” Davis said. “Financial literacy is an essential skill in mobilizing our local workforce.”

Also in attendance were Traci Berry, Chief Learning and Engagement Officer, Goodwill Central Texas; Matt Williams, Vice President of Education, Goodwill Central Texas; and Jeff Dudderar, BBVA Compass Texas Regional Executive.

BBVA Compass has been supporting Goodwill Central Texas since 2011 as part of the bank’s broader efforts throughout the Austin area. The BBVA Compass Foundation, the bank’s charitable arm, has invested more than $1.5 million in the Austin area in the last five years to support small-business advocacy, financial education, affordable housing, and revitalization and stabilization of designated low- to moderate-income communities. In addition, the bank made 29 community development loans totaling $97 million in Austin over the last two years, including one for the acquisition and development of the new financial education center.