Chrysler Financial – News
August 31, 2007
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Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment Video »
The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network Comes to North Carolina for the First Time for its Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment: “Get Your Money Right” International Tour
- Summit Convenes at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, N.C. on Saturday, September 8, 2007
- Russell Simmons, Anthony Hamilton, Belly, Terrence J and Rocsi of BET, Keith Murray, 9th Wonder, Free and Dr. Benjamin Chavis to Participate
Greensboro, N.C. – USA Today said in a March 9, 2007 Page 1 story on the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network’s (HSAN) national tour on financial empowerment, “Despite a difference in tone and sometimes language, [the artist’s] advice was what you’d get from Merrill Lynch, just more colorful.” On Saturday, September 8, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network comes to North Carolina for the first time for its international “Get Your Money Right” tour on financial empowerment.
The Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment is right on time. With the recent housing market crash affecting the economy, jobs, student loans and consumer confidence, young people need some sound financial advice on how to best manage their money and navigate through this volatile economic environment. Bloomberg recently wrote, “The housing recession is making it harder for Americans to tap home equity to finance the spending that accounts for 70 percent of the economy. A slowdown in hiring and slimmer pay raises may further weaken consumer sentiment and purchasing power as overall growth slows.” Reuters reported, “The multibillion-dollar market for securitized student loan debt faces new stresses as Congress moves to reshape the troubled student loan industry.“ And minority communities are being hit hardest.
The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and title sponsor Chrysler Financial are pleased to bring the Financial Empowerment Summit to Greensboro, N.C. for the first time. The “Get Your Money Right” tour will convene at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Corbett Sports Center, located at 1601 East Market Street in Greensboro. The program takes place from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Doors open at Noon. Tickets for the Greensboro Summit are free and available at www.hsan.org. The presenting sponsor is Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
The Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment is a grassroots effort to help engage young people in discussions about the importance of personal finance. The “Get Your Money Right” agenda features an interactive panel discussion on financial literacy, including such topics as the basics of banking, repairing and understanding credit scores, asset and wealth management, vehicle financing and home ownership.
The Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment’s “Get Your Money Right” International Tour, now in its third successful year, brings together the powerful combination of hip-hop stars and Chrysler Financial experts to speak to students and community members about the importance of financial literacy.
Joining HSAN Co-Chairmen Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis in Greensboro will be Anthony Hamilton, Belly, Terrence J and Rocsi from BET, Keith Murray and 9th Wonder. Hip-hop television personality, Free, will co-moderate the Summit with Dr. Chavis.
The tour will utilize the “Get Your Money Right” workbook, produced and distributed by HSAN in both English and Spanish and given to all participants. The workbook is free and is also downloadable at www.hsan.org.
“In light of the current economic climate, one of the most urgent issues facing young adults today is the issue of having a firm financial foundation,” emphasized Russell Simmons. “Hip-hop is about personal and social transformation. The theme 'Get Your Money Right' is not some rhetorical gesture. This is a real issue and we are talking about providing real solutions that attendees at the Hip-Hop Summit can use for the rest of their lives.”
“How we as consumers manage our money determines our credit worthiness, provides us with access to financial tools, such as mortgages and affects our overall quality of life,” said William F. Jones Jr., -- Chief Operating Officer of Chrysler Financial. “At the Summit our employee volunteers will empower participants to make good financial choices that will benefit them for a lifetime because it is easier to establish good credit initially than to repair bad credit later.”
“The opportunity to live productively begins with a plan that mandates personal financial responsibility,” said Johnny Furr, Vice President of Urban Marketing and Community Affairs for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "We consider it a real benefit to support HSAN's mission to provide young people with the tools, knowledge and inspiration they need to begin creating the futures they want tomorrow, today.”
Community partners for the Summit include the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, Hip-Hop Haven, Beloved Community Center, Winston-Salem Urban League and Winston-Salem State University. The media partner for the Greensboro Hip-Hop Summit is Jamz102 - WJMH-FM.
Dr. Benjamin Chavis concluded, “Across the state of North Carolina, hip-hop culture is growing and developing strong with the creative genius of talented young emerging artists and entrepreneurs. Thus the stage is set for a great educational and cultural gathering at the Greensboro, N.C. Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment. In fact it was in Greensboro, N.C. over 47 years ago that four courageous students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University began the historic student sit-in movement that eventually led to the desegregation of public accommodations throughout the South and across America. Today students from this great university will help lead the way to greater economic equality, financial literacy and opportunity for all.”
The 2007 “Get Your Money Right” tour will make three more stops including Washington, D.C., September 29; Miami, Fla., October 20; and Atlanta, Ga., November 3.
About Chrysler Financial
Chrysler Financial offers automotive financial products and services to both dealers and consumers of Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. In addition to offering vehicle wholesale and retail financing to more than 4,400 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers, Chrysler Financial also provides fleet management and lines of credit to dealers. Currently, nearly three million drivers in the United States enjoy the benefits of leasing or financing with Chrysler Financial. Chrysler Financial has an employee base of 4,200 and supports a global portfolio of $75 billion. For more information visit www.chryslerfinancial.com.
About Anheuser-Busch
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-owned and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch is ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in Fortune magazine’s 2005 “America’s Most Admired Companies” and in the top 30 on Fortune’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” list. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or www.africanamericanbud.com.
About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, worldwide coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice.