Responsive to the increased need for financial literacy programs, Pacific Premier Bank granted $185,591 to sponsor Templo Calvario Community Development Corporation’s Banking On Our Youth program. Templo Calvario CDC is a nonprofit organization in Santa Ana, CA that partners with key stakeholders in order to unite, build, and transform the local community. Templo Calvario’s programs primarily support low-income families and individuals.

Templo Calvario’s Banking On Our Youth program (BOY) is a sustainable financial literacy and entrepreneurship program that works with high school seniors through innovative and engaging methods to promote financial responsibility, leadership, teamwork, and entrepreneurship. The mission of the BOY program is to help the youth of Santa Ana improve their understanding of financial concepts and services, empowering them to make better decisions to improve their financial well-being.

“We are pleased to sponsor Templo Calvario’s BOY program, designed to enrich the lives of our local youth,” says Sherri Scott, Pacific Premier’s SVP, Chief CRA & Fair Banking Officer. “Pacific Premier is proud to support programs aimed at teaching and empowering high school students to make wise financial choices for their futures.”

The City of Santa Ana, located within one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, has one of the highest concentrations of families with financial instability in Orange County. For individuals living in communities plagued by poverty such as Santa Ana, the challenges of debt and bankruptcy are further perpetuated by lack of educational opportunities, including college and career readiness programs that prepare students for financial success as well as educational success beyond high school.

Pacific Premier has been supporting Templo Calvario since 2016, underwriting the BOY program since 2017. Students enrolled in the BOY program also work with financial mentors to help them navigate the financial landscape and learn key financial literacy skills—from basics like how to balance your checkbook to bigger-picture entrepreneurship skills. It provides students with knowledge and opportunities they may not be receiving at home or school, and can help students gain the knowledge and skills to succeed in the future.