Specialist Receives Grants to Promote Personal Finance Education

Normal, AL---Feb. 3, 2004---Alabama Securities Commission Director Joseph P. Borg presented four 
grants totaling $15,000 to promote personal finance education in Alabama during a ceremony Jan. 28 at  
the Junior Achievement of Greater Birmingham, Inc. office in Birmingham.

Two $2,500 awards were presented to Dr. Bernice Wilson, Alabama Cooperative Extension System  
resource management specialist, for her role as state coordinator of Lifesmarts and for her participation in  
Extension’s Annual Family Conference and the Successful Aging Initiative. Other honorees included Buffy 
Murphy, board president of Bancorp South for Alabama Jump$tart Coalition, and Dr. Thomas N. Rains, 
president of the Alabama Council on Economic Education, who is also a board member for the Alabama 
Jump$tart Coalition. Each awardee received a total of $5,000. 

“The commission is absolutely delighted to make these presentations of funds on behalf of the Investor 
Protection Trust to promote personal finance and investor education to a wide variety of citizens, including 
youth, seniors and minority groups throughout the state of Alabama,” Borg said. “As our nation is facing a 
financial literacy crisis, these monies, which come from endowments, fines and other sources, will be 
used to buy materials and training, which will reach Alabamians in the near future.”
 
Wilson is the state coordinator for Alabama’s Lifesmarts program, which is being implemented through 
Extension’s Urban Affairs and New Nontraditional Programs unit at Alabama A&M University. Lifesmarts 
is an educational program that develops the consumer and marketplace knowledge and skills of 
teenagers in grades 9 to 12. The program works like a game show runs similar to a game-show 
competition. Teams of five teens compete in district and state matches. The state winners go on to 
regional and national competitions to vie for the national Lifesmarts title. Lifesmarts complements any 
personal finance curricula in high schools and can be used in classroom or community setting. 

Wilson was also honored for her participation in the Annual Family Conference that helps strengthen 
urban families and the Successful Aging Initiative and Senior Expo coordinated by Extension consultant 
attorney Kevin Crenshaw. Extension specialists who are experts on issues concerning urban families 
alternate in chairing the Annual Family Conference. Wilson is expected to chair the event again in the 
next two years. 

Both the Family Conference and the Successful Aging Initiative cover topics such as financial security in 
later life, what women need to know about money and retirement, the financial exploitation of the elderly, 
and the basics of financial planning.  

“The Alabama Securities Commission is proud to be a member of the Jump$tart Coalition because this 
organization provides a common ground for government, business and other organizations to promote 
personal finance initiatives to the youth of Alabama,” Borg said in closing the award ceremonies. “There 
will be more available grant opportunities from the Investor Protection Trust in the future. These are funds 
that come from fines and legal settlements in the securities industry and have been specifically 
earmarked for the promotion of personal finance. Also, I would like to commend the Alabama Cooperative 
Extension and the Alabama Council on Economic Education, who are partnering to help teach personal 
finance to youth, teachers, seniors and a wide representation of socio-economic areas in an effort to 
benefit all citizens of Alabama. A special thank you goes to other federal agencies and business partners 
for providing financial or resource support to promote personal finance literacy and education in 
Alabama.”

For more information about personal finance education or the grant award, contact Dr. Bernice Wilson at 
(256) 372-4969. For information on the Successful Aging Initiative and Senior Expo, contact Kevin 
Crenshaw (256) 372-4939, and for information on the 2004 Annual Family Conference, contact Dr. 
Donnie Cook at (256) 372-4983.
 
The Investor Protection Trust exists to promote non-commercial investor education. The Trust supports pluralism and equal opportunity in its grant making and in 
its internal policies. The opportunities that prospective grantee organizations provide for minorities and women are considered in evaluating proposals.  Activities 
supported by grants and program-related investments must be charitable, educational or scientific, as defined under the appropriate provisions of the U.S. 
Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations. The foundation monitors grants through regular financial and narrative reports submitted by the grantee.   For 
more information go to http://www.investorprotection.org.