Champion for Community

Jennifer Allen, Western Kentucky Region

Providing financial education for individuals in recovery

For the past 26 years, Banking Center Manager Jennifer Allen has volunteered to teach financial education classes in the community. Today, she continues to devote many hours to improving financial literacy, last year teaching more than 80 classes.

Jennifer first started volunteering in the school system at their Reality Fair, helping students learn about family budgeting. For the past 15 years, she has focused on classes for low income men and women
in recovery. She and Affinity Relationship Banker Sam Taylor volunteer many hours teaching Real Life Finance classes at Owensboro Regional Recovery and the Boulware Mission. Classes cover budgeting and basic financial education, with the goal of preparing individuals to
re-enter the workforce and home life. Jennifer also serves as a Boulware board member and is on the Owensboro Financial Literacy Council.

Says Jennifer, “Often these men and women have made some poor choices in their lives. They are striving to change but are met with challenges because of their past. I feel it’s important to give them community support. They need to know that people and organizations in the community do care and want to help.”

Jennifer’s own life experiences have had an impact on her decision to be a champion for financial education. She explains, “I grew up in a single-parent household with two brothers. Money was tight, and I saw how my mother struggled to keep things paid. If I can keep someone from struggling with debt, and teach them good savings habits, I have made a difference for many generations of their family.”

Jennifer's other volunteer activities:

• VITA tax sites for low income families, volunteer
• Junior Achievement, volunteer
• Bank on Owensboro, volunteer