You don't often hear high school students rave about banking, but PIMCO's "Tools for Tomorrow" skills-based volunteer program has youth in Orange County, Calif., fired up about credit and debt, budgeting and more.
"The best feedback we receive from Tools for Tomorrow students is when we hear them say, 'I'm 
going home and telling my mom about budgeting.' Or, 'I'm going to talk to my parents about opening a savings account," said Sarah Middleton, vice president of community outreach for PIMCO and executive director of the PIMCO Foundation. "These stories are amazing and impactful, especially because we're working with students whose parents literally keep their money under their mattresses."
Tools for Tomorrow is a 13-week program, created and delivered by employee volunteers of the global investment company. PIMCO volunteers make financial literacy fun by bringing games, interactive activities and videos to each session. Kids learn about financial and capital markets, how to invest, and about debt and equity.
The impact of the program, according to Middleton, extends beyond the students to their families, providing practical financial skills like budgeting, saving and investing that are helping to break the cycle of poverty in the community.
PIMCO is just one of the companies that have taken the A Billion + Change pledge, joining the effort to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based service from corporate America by 2013. The initiative, housed and managed by Points of Light, will recognize several companies for their pro bono leadership at an event organized in partnership with Deloitte and the Taproot Foundation, "Envisioning the Future of Corporate Service: A Discussion on Corporate Pro Bono and Skills-Based Volunteerism" on Oct. 1 at the California Endowment.
At the event, leaders in policy, industry and civic engagement will discuss how innovative businesses in Los Angeles and around the country are shaping the future of corporate service to tackle the major challenges of the 21st century through skills-based service. Speakers include Michelle Kerrick, managing partner for Deloitte in Los Angeles; Jenny Lawson, executive director of A Billion + Change; Karen Baker, California's Secretary of Service and Volunteering; Ryan Scott, CEO of Causecast; Aaron Hurst, president and founder of the Taproot Foundation; and Rafael Gonzalez, director of community relations for the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with other corporate and civic leaders advancing the pro bono movement. Read more about the event online.
To see a list of A Billion + Change pledge companies or get information about how to take the pledge, visit www.abillionpluschange.org. You can also follow the conversion on Twitter at #BillionPlus.