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TORONTO 2007 HIP-HOP SUMMIT STRESSES FINANCIAL LITERACY
GABRIELLE UNION, ESSENCE ATKINS, BELLY, LETOYA LUCKETT AND OTHER HIP-HOP CELEBRITIES EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET THEIR MONEY RIGHT AT SECOND INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL HIP-HOP SUMMIT
TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 20, 2007- The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and Chrysler Financial Canada convened its second international Hip-Hop Summit at Toronto’s Hummingbird Centre on Saturday, August 18, 2007 to empower young people with the basics of financial literacy. Gabrielle Union, Essence Atkins, hip-hop stars Belly and Keisha Chante, R&B/pop star Letoya Luckett, seminal hip-hop artist and radio personality Monie Love, DJ Starting From Scratch, local hip-hop entrepreneur Charles Brown, Gino Cozza, President and Chief Executive Officer for title sponsor Chrysler Financial Canada, and Chrysler Financial experts Monique Tate and Stanford Wongus joined Summit co-moderators HSAN President/CEO Dr. Benjamin Chavis and Executive Director Valeisha Butterfield for the 2007 Toronto “Get Your Money Right” Summit.
The attentive audience absorbed critical information on how to establish a stable financial foundation and how to build upon it. In response to an audience question about the meaning of net worth, Gabrielle Union responded by putting net worth into different terms. “Net worth is your assets minus your liabilities, but you have to look at it holistically; your net worth is more than a numeric formula, it’s also the quality of your mind, body and spirit.” Former Destiny’s Child member, Letoya Luckett, a fashion entrepreneur with her own retail clothing business in Houston, TX, offered this as she held up the “Get Your Money Right” workbook, “Read this book! It’s so important to get your information right. I learned that I had to protect my credit score, pay my bills on time and be persistent in attaining my life goals.” “I look at this audience and see a lot of potential,” actress Essence Atkins emphasized. “We are all up here because we made good choices, worked hard, delayed gratification and had self-discipline.” Canadian rap star Belly agreed. “I treat every opportunity like it’s my last,” he declared. “You have to get up early each day to get out there and accomplish your goals.”
“There are three areas of community development that are significant with respect to the Hip-Hop Summit,” said Gino Cozza, President and CEO — Chrysler Financial Canada. “They are: empowering youth to strive for a better financial future, increasing the level of financial literacy among our community and bringing truth to the statement that small steps can lead to great accomplishments. This is why Chrysler Financial is proud to be the title sponsor of the Hip-Hop Summit in Toronto.”
Dr. Benjamin Chavis affirmed, “Today’s Toronto Summit displayed, once again, how hip-hop culture is becoming stronger and more vibrant across Canada. The attentiveness of the audience reconfirmed the hunger and thirst of young Canadians for basic financial literacy information. Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world and it was a pleasure to witness such a diverse group of young people come together. ”
The Toronto Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment was webcast live and is available at www.hsan.org.
The “Get Your Money Right” workbook, which will be given to all participants, is available in both English and Spanish and is downloadable on the www.hsan.org site.
The media partner for the Toronto Hip-Hop Summit was radio station The FLOW 93.5FM and Much Music. Community partners include Tropicana Community Services, Urbanology Magazine, Laidlaw Foundation, Universal Urban and Credit Counseling Service of Toronto.
About Chrysler Financial Canada
Chrysler Financial offers a complete line of world-class automotive financial products and services for both retailers and consumers of Chrysler, Jeep(r) and Dodge vehicles. In addition, Chrysler Financial offers vehicle wholesale and retail financing, capital loans, mortgages and lines of credit to all 450 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge retailers. As an industry leader in automotive financing, Chrysler Financial provides its customers with the most innovative and efficient methods of doing business. For more information on Chrysler Financial Canada visit www.chryslerfinancial.ca.
About Hip-Hop Summit Action Network
Founded in 2001, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, national coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice.
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