Liberty Hill's After-School Reading Program a Bright Spot

For those of you who don't venture into North Charleston unless to shop, here's some community information.

"The Felix Pinckney Community Center in the Liberty Hill neighborhood of North Charleston offers an after-school reading program for third- and fourth-graders. The center created the program seven years ago when it became clear that the neighborhood's youth were entering high school reading at a third-grade level, Director Robert Fludd said. Participation in the program has grown from 20 to 120 students, from Liberty Hill and beyond."

Now Dorothea Bernique is offering third and fourth-graders the chance to learn some financial literacy as well. "She founded the Increasing H.O.P.E. Financial Training Center more than a decade ago to assist adults with financial planning. With the support of local banks, the nonprofit has given more than $8 million back to the local community in the past 12 years through free tax preparation and foreclosure prevention."

Now it's all about inflatable pink pigs, three, to be exact!

"Dorothea Bernique taught about saving, spending and giving in a financial literacy class for third- and fourth-graders at North Charleston's Felix Pinckney Community Center. The executive director of Increasing H.O.P.E. used the 'three little pigs' story for the class after their regular school day." 

"'I think it's very, very important to children in that area because it provides a concept and a behavior that they may not see on a daily basis,' Bernique said. 'It's not about the amount, but establishing a new behavior that can literally change your life and help break that cycle of poverty.'"

More power to her!