Sabrina Ayala is a model volunteer, in many ways. Not only does she personally help at Mad City Money events on a regular basis, as Director of SCE FCU’s Member Care Center she also brings along many of her team members to help as well. “Youth financial education is just as important as the regular subjects taught in school. Financial illiteracy has the power to make or break an individual at an early age if they don’t know how to properly manage their money.”
Like so many of our volunteers, Sabrina has a personal reason for her involvement. “At a young age I became overwhelmed with too many retail store credit cards. I was lucky that a good friend counseled me and helped me get out of debt without going bankrupt. I love to know that I can help youth learn how to avoid the mistakes I made.”
Among all the important lessons teens learn at Mad City Money, Sabrina likes that teens get to see the consequences of financing an expensive car instead of choosing something more economical. Since she’s also a mom, she’s glad that participants also experience the costs of caring for a child. “It’s good for them to see how having a child at an early age could impact their lives tremendously.”
Sabrina’s advice for teens sounds like a really good billboard message: “Start saving early. You’ll thank yourself later.”
When we’re able to resume Mad City Money events with students, we’ll need volunteers. And you’d be great at it! It’s easy and fun. SIGN UP HERE to get on our roster so you can be a #FinLit superhero!