Teri Williams, OneUnited Bank President and author of “I Got Bank!” wrote the book when she found that there weren’t any books geared toward educating urban youth about finances.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ONEUNITED BANK

Staff Report

BOSTON, Mass. – OneUnited Bank, the nation’s largest black-owned bank, is expanding its 7th Annual “I Got Bank!” Financial Literacy Contest to include ten winners, up from three.

The contest has also evolved to include the best essays and the best art projects that represent OneUnited Bank is partnering with BMe Community to expand the contest and celebrate more youth contest winners.

Middle school students from across the country between the ages of 8 and 12 are encouraged to read a financial literacy book of their choosing, and either write a 250-word essay or create an art project to show how they would apply what they learned from the book to their daily lives.

Submissions must be emailed or postmarked by June 15.

The Bank will choose ten winners: one from Akron, Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and two from other locations in the U.S. Each winner will be awarded a $1,000 OneUnited Bank savings account by August 31.

Teri Williams, OneUnited Bank President and author of “I Got Bank!” wrote the book when she found that there the “I Got Bank!” theme. weren’t any books geared toward educating urban youth about finances.

“We are very excited to partner with BMe Community to expand our financial literacy contest to include more winners and to include art,” said Williams.

“OneUnited and BMe Community are committed to building on the strengths of our communities,” said Trabian Shorters, CEO of BMe Community. “That includes our children and the over 160 dedicated black men we call ‘BMe Leaders’ whose businesses and charitable organizations fuel our ‘asset-framed’ movement for prosperous communities.”

The “I Got Bank!” Essay Contest is part of a larger OneUnited Bank effort to educate urban youth about smart money management. The Bank has seen its efforts increase awareness of this important subject and improve the financial skills of children and adults throughout the country.

The 2016 winners were: Alyssa Coleman, 12, of Kansas City, MO, Kalia Marie Sky Gibbs, 12, of Los Angeles, CA and Addison Williams, 9, of Fort Worth, TX.

For more information about the contest, visit www.oneunited.com/book. To learn more about BMe Community, visit www.bmecommunity.org.