Waukesha financial program removes barriers, creates opportunities

Waukesha financial program creates opportunities

We’re all on a different financial path in life. Some of us struggle to get ahead. A program in Waukesha is helping people get a better handle on their money.

WAUKESHA, Wis. - We’re all on a different financial path in life. Some of us struggle to get ahead. A program in Waukesha is helping people get a better handle on their money.

Celebrating success

What we know:

On a cold December night, volunteers are busy transforming Waukesha’s First United Methodist Church into a graduation party. Balloons, streamers, beverages and dinner filled the room. On this night, 7 people are receiving their diploma for completing a financial literacy course called Getting Ahead. It’s a milestone 40th graduation for the program.

"It’s for anybody. It’s not just finances – it’s life. You want to be somewhere where you are not currently, it’s for you," said Monique Rodriguez. She is the group’s Administration Coordinator. Getting Ahead is a program offered through St. Vincent de Paul of Waukesha County. The goal is to help people become more financially stable. "Everybody deserves to have more opportunity to learn about finances and grow their finances to get ahead."

Financial mentoring

By the numbers:

Over the last 10 years, St. Vincent de Paul has helped nearly 300 people with deep dives into their personal finances. Mentors help participants figure out changes they need to make to get a better handle on their finances and set goals for their future. At the end of 16 sessions, they graduate. 

"Keep looking at your goal, what you want to achieve," described Laura Lindsey when asked by FOX6 News reporter Bret Lemoine about how she stays on track. Lindsey finished Getting Ahead last year. Everyone in the program has to create a poster expressing in words and pictures their financial status and goals. "In the beginning," Lindsey said gesturing her hand over her head, "I just showed water going like this representing debt."

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Others start slow: ‘I will save $100 monthly’ wrote one participant on their poster. Another said they want to ‘own a plot of land’ while someone else hopes to ‘save up for their wedding.’

"I wasn’t really smart with budgeting, to be honest," Guadalupe Garcia Kausalik told us. She also graduated last year. Garcia Kausalik is saving up to buy a house. Her ‘ah-ha’ moment in the program came when she started being honest with herself about money. "Despite all the failures I came across," she said, "I still kept going."

Learning a different kind of language

What they're saying:

"Seeing them discover new things and different ways to do finances is amazing – the transformation," reflected Liliana Cavazos. She manages the Getting Ahead program. It’s offered to anyone 18 or older and it’s completely free. Funding comes from sales at St. Vincent de Paul’s three thrift shops in Waukesha and through financial donations. People who enroll are also given a $25 stipend to help with travel and childcare.

More than a third of all Getting Ahead graduates completed the course in Spanish. According to a 2022 study by TIAA Institute, only about 30% of Hispanics polled could correctly answer personal finance questions commonly used to gauge financial literacy in the U.S. The study also found financial literacy among Hispanic women tends to lag behind that of Hispanic men.

"All of us are a grain of sand," said Cavazos. "And if we put all the grains together we can build a thriving community."

Success stories

How it works:

"I feel like they are my angel people for me," Lolita Lopez said in the church hallway ahead of the graduation ceremony. Lopez is one of Getting Ahead’s success stories. She was taking courses in 2022 while working five jobs and raising her family. "Sometimes you know you need to save money, but sometimes you forget what is the way to save the money."

Lopez says generational wealth is limited for Hispanics and Latinos - making it hard to get ahead. "My mom was not good saving money, but I saw my mom suffering because she never had extra money," Lopez said.

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But she kept on, forging her own path. In December, she’ll celebrate another graduation: this time from UW Whitewater with a degree in Special Education. Lopez credits her mentors and her personal finance plan for helping her unlock financial freedom.

"Just the courage to kind of change that.  Say ‘I want my life to change, here’s my plan and how am I going to get there.’  It’s amazing to see the transformation in just 8 weeks," Rodriguez reflected.