John Hope Bryant

Introducing the HOPE Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship | Operation HOPE Blog

 

Read the complete story here, on the HOPE Blog, or watch the video here.

Introducing the HOPE Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship | Operation HOPE Blog.

Operation HOPE and Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti Stand in Support of Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline in Los Angeles

This week Operation HOPE stood with my friend and HOPE Partner, Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti, as we announced the results of the work of the Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline, and stood with families and individuals who have had their lives positively impacted, and in each case their home saved, because of our work.

What most do not know is that the Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline, which is now national, has modified or helped to restructure more than $450 million in mortgages (half a $ billion) and served more than 100,000 individuals and familes, was originally the idea of one Eric Garcetti.  That's right -- a politician actually doing his job, as public servant.

Operation HOPE, Atlanta Stands with Atlanta Prosperity Campaign for EITC in 2012

Operation HOPE, Atlanta was honored to stand with the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign, the IRS, the Atlanta Food Bank and others at a press conference last week to launch a focus on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for working individuals and families.  Icons Ambassador Andrew Young, the HOPE Global Spokesman, and Congressman John Lewis both joined the press conference.

The EITC is a powerful vehicle for individuals and families to change their lives, providing up to $5,700 to qualified individuals.  Best of all, EITC a tax credit and not just a benefit, meaning you can receive a cash refund or reduce your tax burden.  Furthermore, it is retroactive for up to three years, meaning that if you qualify in 2011 for say a $4,000 cash refund, you may also qualify for as much as $12,000, receiving the total sum within 30 days directly from the IRS.

A Untapped Resource in Atlanta

Last week I toured the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency with its director, Ms. Deborah Lum, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement.  They do so much here for the poor, the underserved and really -- just anyone that is striving in their lives for a future that is "better," brighter and more aspirational.

The center grew and helped high students attend college under Mayor Shirley Franklin, and is doing even more under the administration of Mayor Kasim Reed.

President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability Helps Americans Achieve Financial Security

 

Special from the Operation HOPE Blog.

President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability Helps Americans Achieve Financial Security.

John Hope Bryant meets with Federal Consumer Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C.

I was pleased to meet today with two new friends in the silver rights movement for financial dignity -- Camille M. Busette, Ph. D, assistant director, Consumer Education & Engagement, Office of Financial Education, and Cassandra E. McConnell, deputy assistant director, within the Federal Consumer Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C. Jena Roscoe from my team also joined us. It was a very substantive meeting with a great deal of common ground present between my agenda, and theirs. This is a movement for financial dignity and silver rights, here and around the world.


John Hope Bryant is founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and bestselling author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass).

- Posted from my iPhone

John Hope Bryant and Operation HOPE Meets with Federal Chairman Ben Bernanke

Today I was honored to meet with friend of HOPE and friend to underserved communities everywhere -- U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C.

Meeting with the Chairman reminded me of why we gave him our HOPE Award in the first place, when he came to speak at our last HOPE Global Financial Literacy Summit in Anacostia. The Chairman has been a big supporter of financial literacy in the past, and today I formally briefed him on what I believe comes next in the silver rights movement, or financial dignity for all. We spoke about HOPE's 20th Anniversary (May 5th, 2012), our domestic and global work, our Gallup-HOPE Index results, the Gallup-HOPE Index Cities Initiative, the new HOPE Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, HOPE Business-In-A-Box, the Wikia-HOPE Global Money Initiative, and our on- the-ground results. Separately, I discussed my new role as chairman of the new Subcommittee on the Underserved and Community Empowerment for the US President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability, a Council chaired by John Rogers. Specifically, I briefed him around our coming Local Financial Literacy Council efforts.

The Chairman has breathed confidence and a sense of stability in these times, in America and around the world. I wanted to thank him, personally. I also told him to remember that "no good deed shall go unpunished." To keep on moving forward, serving, helping.

Stay tuned for more to come from my meeting with the Chairman, and his team. Jena Roscoe, HOPE Government Relations Chief, staffed me for this important meeting.


John Hope Bryant is founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and bestselling author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass).

- Posted from my iPhone

Operation HOPE Financial Dignity Center, Ebenezer ~ On The Move in Atlanta

This is literally a "steel out of the ground" silver rights movement, under way right now in Atlanta, at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and America's "Freedom Church."

The HOPE Financial Dignity Center, Ebenezer serves as the anchor tenant and partner for the Martin Luther King, Sr Community Resource Complex, next to Ebenezer and on the broader King Center site.

Partners in HOPE Center, Ebenezer, led and organized by Steve Bartlett (CEO) and the FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE, include Suntrust Bank, State Farm Insurance, LPL Financial, Wells Fargo, MasterCard, Coca-Cola, the United Way of Greater Atlanta and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.  This commitment from the FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE is a highlight feature of the HOPE-FSR National Framework Agreement for Financial Literacy, designed to bring financial literacy into the C-Suite of America's financial leaders, and to make it a 'business case' for those involved.

A special thank you to Reverend Dr. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, for seeing the vision here for silver rights, and moving to make it real in people's lives.

The best is yet to come.  Stay tuned....

 

John Hope Bryant is a thought leader, founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE and Bryant Group Companies, Inc. Magazine/CEO READ bestselling business author of LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass) the only African-American bestselling business author in America, and is chairman of the Subcommittee for the Under-Served and Community Empowerment for the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, for President Barack Obama.  Mr. Bryant is the co-founder of the Gallup-HOPE Index, the only national research poll on youth financial dignity and youth economic energy in the U.S. He is also a co-founder of Global Dignity with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Professor Pekka Himanen of Finland. Global Dignity is affiliated with the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the World Economic Forum. 

 

Operation HOPE, Detroit Reports In

My friend and partner, and HOPE Midwest Board Member Dave Gamlin (New Detroit) tells me that Operation HOPE, Detroit has educated 7,500 youth plus in 2011, around financial literacy, and more than 30,000 youth (4th grade through 12th grade) program to date inDetroit.

 

 

Unsung Heroes for Financial Dignity: Members of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability

 

Last Thursday, January 19th, 2012, in a full capacity meeting in the Cash Room at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, members of the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability met to kick off 2012 with a strong agenda and plan on behalf of President Obama and the nation.

Some of the accomplishments of this meeting included:

• A formal and Council approved recommendation by my friend and Council Partnership Subcommittee Chair Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz around financial literacy and federal employee engagement.
• An Interim Report from the full Council to President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Geithner.

Additionally, the Council and the public heard from Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions Cyrus Amir-Mokri, Council Chairman John Rogers, Josh Wright, acting director of the Treasury Office of Financial Education and Financial Access, and substantive subcommittee reports from Council members Arty Arteaga, Ted Beck, Amy Rosen and Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz.  Council vice chair Amy Rosen moderated an in-depth discussion with Alan B. Krueger, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. Later, friend to the Council, Ms. Michelle Greene, vice president of corporate responsibility for NYSE Euronext and executive director of the NYSE Foundation, moderated a panel discussion with Steve Bigari, CEO of Stellar Restaurant Solutions and founder of America's Family, Brad Wenger, general manager of Hilton, Wilmington, Mary DuPont, director of financial empowerment for the State of Deleware, and Mateen Ali, senior manager of retirement and wealth strategy for Best Buy.