The University of Illinois Extension’s Money Mentors program last year aided more than 100 Champaign-Urbana area residents with their financial goals. And given the unique challenges prevalent in a pandemic era, more will likely seek assistance again.
The Money Mentors program is seeking volunteers who will begin training on Jan. 26. Volunteers complete 30 hours of financial education and coaching training with U of I Extension educators. Mentors are then matched with people who seek help with financial goals such as paying down debt, building spending plans, saving for dreams and organizing their finances.
“We welcome mentors from all walk-of-lives and experiences,” said Kathy Sweedler, U of I Extension educator. “You do not need previous education in finances to become an excellent Money Mentors volunteer. I anticipate that the demand for money mentoring will be very high in the next few months; volunteers are needed.”
There is a $40 cost for training, and partial scholarships are available. There are 12 weekly training sessions on Tuesdays from 6:30-8 p.m. Training sessions comprise online class discussions by Zoom. Each week includes homework in the form of activities, readings and online training. Assistance is available for anyone who is not familiar with Zoom meetings.
“We completed an online training session this past summer, and it worked well,” Sweedler said.
All mentoring is being done by phone, email and online, such as Zoom.
The Money Mentors program is available to residents of the following counties: Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, Vermilion, Livingston, McLean, Woodford, Kankakee, Will, Grundy and Cook.
For more information visit the program’s web site. Questions can be directed to Sweedler at sweedler@illinois.edu or (217) 333-7672.
Help from volunteers is free and confidential. Visit the website or call.
Financial Literacy for Champaign-Urbana Seniors