Awards Ceremonies
The “Wealth Watchers Financial Literacy Advocate Award” began in 2007 to recognize a company or individual who made a significant contribution to the field of financial literacy at a national level. Doug Tillett, from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, cleverly nicknamed the award “The Benny” which is still in use today. Wealth Watchers proudly presents two awards each year.
2007 Award Winners
Oprah Winfrey for her series of shows called “The Great American Debt Diet” where Oprah used her star-power to put a spotlight on the fact that too much debt is ruining people. Oprah introduced her audience to three financial experts who showed us that we have hope as long as we face our problems and take action.
The second recipient was Susan Beacham, Founder and President of The Money Savvy Generation. Susan created a piggy bank with four slots as a means of teaching children about the four choices they can make with money: Spend, Save, Donate, and Invest. Her program has been used around the world.
2008 Award Winners
The first recipient was the United States Treasury Department for their work in coordinating the creation of The National Strategy for Financial Literacy. The Honorable Anna Escobar Cabral, Treasurer of the United States of America, received the award on behalf of the Treasury Department during a MoneySmart Week event, which was held at The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
The second recipient was the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago for their ground breaking work creating a financial literacy movement known as MoneySmart Week. The MoneySmart Week model has been used by different communities around the country and serves as an umbrella to bring together members of the financial services industry and other interested parties dedicated to financial literacy.
2009 Award Winners
The recipients of the 2009 Benny Award were Visa U.S.A. and McDonald’s U.S.A. for their work in bringing a financial literacy program to 500,000 McDonald’s restaurant employees around the country. Their work in bringing the Wealth Watchers program to McDonald’s employees became known as America’s largest financial literacy initiative in the workplace.
