Reese was an honoree at the 2016 Girls Inc. Los Angeles Celebration Luncheon yesterday. But truly, the honor was all Reese’s. She had the opportunity to introduce the group to Nelzy, a Girls Inc. National Scholar and U.C. Berkley freshman whose documentary about food deserts in low-income neighborhoods won a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award.
A national nonprofit organization, Girls Inc.‘s mission is to “inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.” The organization works with Nelzy and thousands of other young women across the country to provide programs to address everything from adolescent health to economic and media literacy.
Reese, along with Draper James, has partnered with the group to provide funding and support for financial literacy programs. Reese told the group: “When I was little, my mom told me, ‘Your job is your life insurance,’ and I’ve remembered it my whole life. Being responsible for your own finances and giving yourself economic stability is an incredible tool. It allows you to follow your dreams. Learning how to write a check, or balance a budget, or what a mortgage is, or how to keep a good credit score–these can sometimes seem like really boring skills, but they are vital. Financial education gives you the foundation to take risks, and the power to take control of your own life.”
Reese’s hope is that knowledge of personal finance can empower young women to take on leadership roles in business in the future and to serve as mentors to other women. “We have to encourage other women to use their voices and their time to raise each other up.”
