FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 31, 2013

CONTACTS: Brice Freeman, MOED, 410-396-1910, bfreeman@oedworks.com Ernest Dorsey, MOED Youth Services, 410-396-6722, edorsey@oedworks.com

Baltimore One of Three U.S. Cities to Receive 2013 Financial Education Grant Through the U.S. Conference of Mayors DollarWise campaign, Baltimore’s YouthWorks summer jobs program will receive $15,000 to support its financial literacy education component Baltimore, Maryland (January 31, 2013) – The United States Conference of Mayors has announced that Baltimore is one of three U.S. cities awarded a DollarWise Campaign Innovation Grant for 2013. Mayor’s Office of Employment Development Assistant Director Ernest Dorsey accepted the award on behalf of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake during the 81st Winter Conference of Mayors on Saturday, January 19, in Washington, D.C. The $15,000 grants fund the expansion and enhancement of citywide financial literacy efforts. The other two winners were Philadelphia and San Francisco. Baltimore will use the grant money to bolster the financial education component of its YouthWorks summer jobs program. Each year, YouthWorks connects approximately 5,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 21 to six-week summer work experiences with private sector, nonprofit, and city and state government employers throughout Baltimore. Participants work in a variety of industries, and gain basic workforce readiness and career-specific skills. Approximately half of YouthWorks participants are 14 to 15 years old and employed for the first time, which underscores the need to incorporate basic financial education into the program. “We are extremely grateful to the U.S. Conference of Mayors DollarWise campaign for choosing Baltimore and YouthWorks to receive this grant, and to Bank of America for funding it,” said Mr. Dorsey, who leads the agency’s Youth Services division. Each summer, YouthWorks participants learn money management skills such as creating a budget, investing for the future, spending wisely, establishing credit, and protecting against identity theft. YouthWorks will use the DollarWise Campaign Innovation Grant to bolster its existing program and also create innovative ways of helping youth save, including a contest that will encourage youth to visit local banks and open checking and savings accounts. “We are also thankful for our ongoing partnership with Wells Fargo, which has allowed us to incorporate financial literacy education into YouthWorks participants’ summer work experience since 2011,” said Dorsey. YouthWorks is operated by the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development with the assistance of employers and workforce partners, and with financial support from a variety of contributors. In 2013, YouthWorks will run June 24 through August 2. Mayor