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WASHINGTON, April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy today announced that its 2021 William E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award will be presented to retired Bankruptcy Judge John Ninfo at the coalition’s virtual awards ceremony on April 16.

Judge John Ninfo founded the Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE) Program in 2002, a personal finance education outreach program that sends bankruptcy professionals to middle schools, high schools, colleges and other organizations, to share their unique knowledge and perspective, and to provide lessons, tactics and techniques that will help these students lead financially responsible, debt-free lives. Since then, Judge Ninfo has spent the last 23 years crusading for mandatory personal finance education. His most recent call to action, “Project Warp Speed,” spotlights the need for families to teach personal finance at home in light of the Covid pandemic.

Seeing too many young people buried in debt, Judge Ninfo sought out the help of other judges, attorneys and court officials in a grassroots effort to reach, and positively influence students in schools. Today, there are more than 1,000 volunteer CARE presenters across the country who are committed to changing the financial trajectory of student’s lives. “It is humbling to be included among the many giants in the financial education field who have received this leadership award,” said Judge Ninfo.

“The ongoing success of the CARE organization is a long-lasting tribute to his vision and the many students reached through CARE presentations are a fitting legacy,” said Laura Levine, President and CEO of the Jump$tart Coalition.

The William E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award was first presented in 1999 to Bill Odom, former Chair of the Ford Motor Credit Company, whose vision led to the creation of the Jump$tart Coalition.

About the Jump$tart Coalition
Jump$tart is a 501-c-3 tax-exempt non-profit coalition formed in 1995 to advance financial literacy—especially among preschool through college-age youth—by working cooperatively and collaboratively. Based in Washington, DC, the coalition includes more than 100 national partner organizations and affiliated state coalitions in nearly every state. Jump$tart is the original promoter of April as Financial Literacy Month and its #CheckYourSchool campaign is working to get effective financial education into every school in the country. To learn more, visit us at jumpstart.orgjumpstartclearinghouse.org, and checkyourschool.org.

Contact:
Jessica Cultra
Director of Communications, Jump$tart
(479) 926-9446
Jessica.cultra@jumpstart.org