About Us
Founder|Aren Khanna
Living in a small town in Northern California for most of my life, it wasn’t until I moved to the metropolis of the Bay Area to attend high school that I realized how much of a lack of exposure and resources exists for people of small town communities.
My close association with an organization that I volunteered at during middle school, the African American Family Cultural Center (AAFCC) in Oroville, CA, allowed me to maintain a valuable connection to where I grew up.
During the summer of 2020 in the middle of the Pandemic, the widening socioeconomic disparities made me want to make more of an impact. I thought of the kids at the AAFCC and wanted to affect their lives. I knew learning about managing money was a necessary skill. I started a Financial literacy program and beginning that fall, I held weekly zoom lessons covering basic topics. It turned out to be educational and a lot of fun for all of us. The following year I was able to partner with a financial advisor from Merrill Lynch to create a more engaging program.
As I worked to develop this program, I realized that there are many organizations teaching financial literacy in larger cities but often the youth in small town communities are left behind. These towns are limited due to lack of banks, investment communities, and job pipelines.
My partnership with the AAFCC has helped create this pilot project, The Oroville Project. This is a model for other small towns with populations less than 20,000 to target the unique challenges they face in spreading financial literacy.
About Oroville
Oroville is a small town in Northern California about 65 mi north of Sacramento with a population of 19,895. It is located in the California Central Valley surrounded by farming communities. The town gets its name from its formation during the California Gold Rush when thousands of prospectors came to the Oroville area seeking riches. It is also known for Lake Oroville which was created by the Oroville Dam, the tallest earth-filled dam in the country. Given its distance from a large city, many members of the community are not exposed to many opportunities.
Meet The Team
Advisors
Percy Mcgee
Percy McGee, First Vice President, Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management has had a front row seat to watching people who were important to him face challenges that could have been avoided with smart and effective financial guidance. It was this experience that drove his choice in a career that would allow him to apply his high energy and passion for wealth management. His desire was to help prevent situations like the ones he had witnessed. He works with a strong sense of purpose and determination to help clients define goals, establish priorities and adjust financial strategies to help change life circumstances. Growing up in the small town of Pittsburg, California, Percy excelled in football and track. He was the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance at Humboldt State University. Percy also serves as a mentor for young financial advisors at Merrill, as a community volunteer and raises funds for organizations such as Strive Through Self (STS) Academy.
Bobby Jones, Sr
Bobby Jones, Sr. was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of eleven children. He moved to the Bay Area as a teenager with his older brother and his family for better opportunities and to finish high school. He was recruited to play football for Chico State where he also obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. As a CARE Team Coach Mr. Jones has over 20 years of experience working with youth. He was the Executive Director of the African American Family & Cultural Center for over 10 years, providing youth with a safe space to be heard as well offering resources for academic support. He has always worked to uplift and help his community and restore the values of teaching and loving oneself first, so then they can love others. He has instilled in his three adult children the importance of giving back to the community and being the best, most honest person they can be. Mr. Jones has also been an ardent sports mentor coaching football, AAU and Upward basketball. His spare time is filled with music and flying his drone.
Sherian hornbeak
Sherian Hornbeak is the Secretary and Board Member of the Butte County Sports and Education Foundation, which supports youth in the Butte County Region. The charitable foundation emphasizes the teaching of core values and lifestyle skills to young students through the median of golf.
Grant hornbeak
Grant Hornbeak is the President of the Butte County Sports and Education Foundation, which supports youth in the Butte County Region. The charitable foundation emphasizes the teaching of core values and lifestyle skills to young students through the median of golf
Ty Katz
Ty Katz started Finance Your Freedom, a financial literacy organization that aims to educate teens about key finance topics. We believe that young people, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, deserve the tools and skills that will empower them to secure a promising economic future. Eventually, he created a community outreach program called the Piggy Bank Project and partnered with a public school in Cincinnati to provide a six-month (once a week) program to a group of elementary school students.
Our Partners
