Bank of America partnered with Special Olympics and the National Disability Institute to co-design Better Money Habits content with diverse learners in mind. Scott Russo and Connie Montana, two lead Better Money Habits Volunteer Champions have supported athletes and families from Special Olympics Pennsylvania since 2021, delivering Better Money Habits throughout the pandemic in small group virtual sessions about basic financial education, budgeting, financial planning and first-time banking opportunities.
What started as a very popular and successful quarterly learning series for all Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes has evolved to become part of Athlete Leadership programming, where Special Olympics Athlete Leaders are being trained to teach economic mobility basics like budgeting and banking fundamentals to other athletes. With athletes teaching other athletes and Better Money Habits Volunteer Champions by their side to support, this program can continue to deliver financial education to diverse learners for generations to come.
As part of our company’s commitment to address economic mobility and social progress, we are proud to be a catalytic funder and longtime supporter of Special Olympics International’s Athlete Leadership and Unified Leadership Programming through the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
