John Hope Bryant

John Hope Bryant and Operation HOPE Team Visits South Africa This Week

I am honored to be spending the week in South Africa this week, focused on our silver rights empowerment work at Operation HOPE, South Africa, being done in more than six provinces in the country.  

While here I will be encouraging a spirit of entrepreneurship, small business ownership and what I call individual job creation (self-employment projects) amongst the generation of young people coming up today in the country.  

These young people have benefited from the incredible and life-changing civil rights justice work done by the likes of former President Nelson Mandela, and my friend Archbishop-Emeritus Desmond Tutu, but all too often these same young people are not seeing that history and tradition translate into what I would call silver rights empowerment opportunities for all, today.  And that means they are then less interested in school, less interested in their families, less interested in "doing right," and less hope for themselves. And the most dangerous person in the world, is the person with no hope.

Our financial literacy work started here 6-years ago has been helpful, and I want to publicly thank the likes of Angela Motshekga, Sean Cleary, Ambassador Andrew Young and former mayor Herman Bailey, all who encouraged me early on to start the office here.  That said, it is not enough. 

An Invitation to Leaders: Operation HOPE and HOPE Forums to Host FDIC Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg at the HOPE Financial Dignity Center Ebenezer, Atlanta, Georgia

For information on how you might be able to participate, contact HOPE Forums Deputy Director Jodi Brockington.

A Personal Letter from Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman, and CEO John Hope Bryant and Ambassador Andrew Young

Operation HOPE is "the private banker to the working poor, the underclass, and the struggling middle-class," and the impact of our work can be felt on-the-ground, everywhere we operate.  Our mission is 'silver rights,' or making free enterprise and capitalism work for all.  Financial literacy is the tool, financial dignity is the goal and financial inclusion is the way. 

2012 marked new heights for HOPE's silver rights movement as it continued to reach out and empower underserved populations in new and innovative ways. HOPE divisions currently serving the community include:

 

• Banking on Our Future, focused on keeping the most at-risk youth from repeating the cycles of poverty and despair that has trapped so many in their families and communities by teaching them basic financial literacy, or what we call "the global language of money." 

 

• HOPE Business-In-A-Box/Gallup-HOPE Index, focused on inspiring a generation of young people to become future American assets of economic energy, small business and entrepreneurship.

 

• HOPE Financial Dignity Centers, including our newest HOPE Financial Dignity Center at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr''s Ebenezer Church in Atlanta, Georgia, are where we approve clients day one, subject to the resolution of their primary denial factors, and raise credit scores on average 120 points over 18 months of active counseling. We call it the 700 Credit Scores Communities Initiative.  The HOPE Center at Ebenezer marks our 11th HOPE Center across the nation, and is the proud anchor for the new Martin Luther King. Sr. Community Resource Complex next to Ebenezer Church.  Most people know that Daddy King, as he was lovingly called, co-pastored Ebenezer Church with his son, Dr. King, but what they don't know is that Daddy King served on the board of a bank for 40 years.  Even more than 50 years ago, the King legacy was alive with civil rights, and silver rights empowerment, too. A special thank you to our HOPE Center signature partners, including Bank of the West and Union Bank on the west coast, E*TRADE FINANCIAL in New York City and Washington, DC, and at Ebenezer in Atlanta, FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE members SunTrust Bank, State Farm Insurance, LPL Financial/NestWise, Wells Fargo Bank,MasterCard, and BMO Harris Bank, along with supporting partners including the Coca-Cola Company,Kaplan University, Equifax, the United Way of Greater Atlanta, amongst others.

 

• HOPE Coalition America, which is the national partner with FEMA around emergency financial disaster preparedness, response and recovery, or the "economic Red Cross" for the nation.  HCA responded to, and served, more than 200,000 survivors following Hurricane Katrina, and we are responding to Hurricane Sandy now. 

 

• HOPE Government Relations & Public Policy, and HOPE Forums, which both advance responsible public policy and help to shape, engaged public opinion.  The recent HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summitfeaturing U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, with more than 1,500 delegates from 30 countries, covered by 50 major media outlets, is but one example of our focus here.

Read the complete personal letter on the HOPE Blog here.

Kaplan University to Stream HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit Live Through Its Interactive KAPx Platform November 14-15

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 12, 2012--Kaplan University, a leader in higher education innovation, today announced that it will stream the 2012 HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit featuring a host of thought leaders from both the business and nonprofit worlds live via its interactive platform KAPx.

Founded by Operation HOPE, Inc. CEO John Hope Bryant, this year marks the 20 th anniversary of the two-day event being held November 14-15 in Atlanta, Georgia. With more than 90 presenters, including U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the summit will focus on such topics as economic disaster preparedness, banking the unbanked, small business and credit, entrepreneurship and include a discussion involving the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness moderated by U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young.

Sessions that will be streamed include:

The Future of Global Jobs Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 6:00-8:30 pm ET Discussion featuring Ambassador Andrew Young, Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton, and Don Graves, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Housing and Community Development, U.S. Treasury

Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank Thursday, Nov. 15 at 1:20-1:45 pm ET Luncheon Keynote

You must register to view the live stream of the sessions. Here’s how:

1. To register, please use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your Internet browser. Then log on to . Registration will ensure that you receive a reminder to attend.

2. To attend the live stream on November 14 and 15, please use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your Internet browser. Then log on to a few minutes prior to session times using your email address and the password you created when you registered for the event. If you are unable to attend at the scheduled date and time, please register and we will email you the recording of this event.

Watch the HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit 2012 ONLINE, Hosted by Kaplan University

November 14-15th

Join Kaplan University, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and over 1,000 delegates from 50 countries on November 14 -15, 2012 for this important summit to discuss ways to promote financial dignity and inclusion worldwide—working to make free enterprise and global business sustainable and equitable for all.

The theme of this year’s summit—Community, Character and (Responsible)Capitalism—is a crucial one as we continue to search for ways to promote financial dignity and financial literacy as solutions to the problem of creating long-term economic stability for individuals, companies, and governments worldwide. This pivotal summit of global leaders includes senior level executives from the private, government, academic and business sectors, working together to address key issues for the future of our world. Kaplan University will be streaming live from select sessions on both days of the event, giving you premium access to these powerful discussions as they happen.

This two day online event is focused around the plenary sessions and remarks by various officials: 

The Future of Global Jobs: The Local Atlanta Economic Miracle
Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 6:00pm - 8:30pm ET
Opening General Plenary: an official listening and action field session for the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness moderated by Ambassador Andrew Young. 

John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, Inc.
Thursday, Nov. 15 from 8:45am - 9:00am ET
Welcome Remarks 

Free Enterprise, Capitalism and Emerging Markets
Thursday, Nov. 15 from 9:45am - 11:00am ET
CEO General Plenary Session moderated by Steve Bartlett, President and CEO of The Financial Services Roundtable. 

Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank
Thursday, Nov. 15 from 1:20pm - 1:45pm ET
Luncheon Keynote 

Register to view the live stream of select sessions by clicking here.

Operation HOPE Salutes E Trade Partnership with a Dedicated Legacy Site

Check out the complete history on the Operation HOPE and E TRADE partnership here.

E TRADE, which does not even have active physical branches, has been a model partner for community reinvestment and community engagement in our nation -- providing real capital, real investment, real leadership, real volunteerism of their employees, and very real and active engagement.  

I could not be prouder, of our relationship and partnership with E TRADE FINANCIAL.

 

 

 

Brad Blackwell, Executive Vice President for Wells Fargo Mortgage Corp, to Speak and Co-Chair Working Group at HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit 2012

We are honored to have my friend Brad Blackwell, a senior executive with Wells Fargo, to join us at the Global Financial Dignity Summit.  

Brad was one of the few banking executives that actually listened to community activist Robert Gnaizda, Esq and myself in early 2005, when we signaled the signs of a coming subprime mortgage crisis.  He listened then, and he is still listening now.  We are honored to have Brad Blackwell and Richard Hartnack, vice chairman of US Bank, both co-chairing the Working Group on the mortgage crisis, and the future of mortgages lending and homeownership opportunity.

For more information on the global summit and this working group.  For more information on Brad Blackwell, see below.

Delta Airlines Signs On As Official Airline for the HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit, 2012

We are extremely pleased and honored to announce that Delta Airlines has signed-on as the Official Airline of and for the HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit, 2012.

The global summit will feature U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, along with delegates from 50 countries.

 

 

 

 

BMO Harris Bank Backs Up HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit with $250K Commitment

Funds will go towards nonprofit's empowerment programs to help underserved communities achieve financial parity and save homes from foreclosure

ATLANTA and CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago-based BMO Harris Bank and Operation HOPE (HOPE) announced today that BMO Harris Bank is committing 250K in capital and providing volunteers to the financial dignity nonprofit, in support of financial literacy programs for youth and adults, including the HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit and a toll-free mortgage crisis hotline that helps families faced with foreclosure.

"There is no question of the pressing need to provide support to initiatives that support financial literacy especially as so many people are struggling to stay in their homes," said Mark Furlong, President and CEO, BMO Harris Bank.  "By partnering with Operation HOPE, we are able to build upon each other's efforts across the country as the need for financial education has no geographic boundaries."

Following its tradition of building and strengthening communities, BMO Harris Bank allocated support for financial empowerment programs that are offered in Washington, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, Florida,Kansas, Missouri, earmarking for: the HOPE Mortgage Crisis Hotline, 700 Credit Score Communities, Banking on Our Future, the HOPE Office of Innovation, Research, and Assessment, and the HOPE Financial Dignity Center at Ebenezer in Atlanta. Additionally, BMO Harris Bank signed on as a sponsor for the HOPE Global Financial Dignity Summit in November.