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In September, Clarifi announced their affiliation with Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), a nonprofit publichealth institute that creates and sustains healthier communities. PHMC, serving the region since 1972, uses bestpractices to improve community health through direct service, partnership, innovation, policy, research, technicalassistance and a prepared workforce.

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Financial Empowerment Centers Counsels ThousandsOnly nine months after their opening, The Philadelphia FinancialEmpowerment Centers counseled its 2,000th client in Novemberand will reach close to 2,500 by year end.

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Clarifi Affiliates with Public Health Management Corporation

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that important public health issues aren’t compromiseddue to economic barriers.”

As an affiliate of PHMC, Clarifi remains a 501(c)(3)nonprofit with its own Board of Directors, name, missionand vision. Client and organizational relationships,program delivery and funding will not be impacted inany way by this change.

“PHMC and Clarifi view this affiliation as an innovativerelationship for the people we serve,” says Richard J.Cohen, President and CEO of PHMC. “Expandingprograms and services, increasing workforce capacityand extending our reach to the most vulnerablecommunities—that’s where we can continue to live our missions.”

With this affiliation, PHMC now has a total of 11affiliations and 350 programs, and will look to bringneeded financial services to the more than 200,000people they serve across the region. Other affiliatesinclude Metropolitan Career Center, Interim House,The Villa and Turning Points for Children.

Clarifi Affiliates with Public Health Management Corporation Continued from page 1

The affiliation offers Clarifi opportunities for sharedresources, administrative and programmatic supportand economies of scale while continuing to extend ourservices to more individuals.

“Our new relationship with PHMC provides us with anopportunity to become part of a diverse public healthinstitute and network of regional nonprofitorganizations, ultimately allowing us to extend ourreach into more communities and impact additionalpopulations,” says Patty Hasson, President & ExecutiveDirector of Clarifi. “In today’s economic and healthcare

environment we see now more than ever thatfinancial stability impacts all areas of one’s life,

especially their health.Together with PHMC,we’ll strive to ensure

Markita Morris-Louis, V.P. of Community Affairs for Clarifi(far left) and Tiffany W. Thurman, Program Manager forFinanciallyHers (far right) with Sheri Cole, Executive Directorof Career Wardrobe (center) and members of her team.

In September, Clarifi’s FinanciallyHers program held its5th annual FinanciallyHers Day recognition event at NewCentury Trust in Center City. A total of ten women werehonored during the event for attending a certainnumber of workshops in the past year and showingdedication to financial education.

The Honorable Judge Annette M. Rizzo, Court ofCommon Pleas of the First Judicial District, was

FinanciallyHers Inspires Attendees at 2013 Recognition Event

welcomed as the keynote speaker and drove home theevent’s theme that ‘Women Matter.’

“Programs like FinanciallyHers give a voice to women, tohave that independence, that assurance, that confidenceto make decisions for their financial health and that oftheir family and friends,” says Rizzo.

Career Wardrobe was honored with the 2013 PartnerAgency Award. FinanciallyHers also recognized Citibankand Don Haskin for their continued support of the program.

Joanne Martonik of America Saves also spoke on theimportance of establishing savings and helped sign upattendees to become Philadelphia Savers.

(Left to right) Clarifi Board Member Roger Wilson, Patty Hasson, President ofClarifi and Richard J. Cohen, President and CEO of Philadelphia HealthManagement Corporation.

To learn more about Clarifi College or to speak with a college planning advisor, call 888-657-4922 or email ClarifiCollege@clarifi.org

Chris Chaplin, College PlanningAdvisor for Clarifi College, answers oneof the 300 calls during Clarifi’s ‘Paying

for College’ phonebank with CBS3.

College planning can be confusing and overwhelmingfor anyone, but Clarifi College is aiming to make theprocess clear for students and their families. In the pastfew months, Clarifi’s college planning service has beenramping up efforts to streamline services and bring innew clients.

In August, the service’s new website ClarifiCollege.orgwas launched. The site’s navigation centers around theservices to help students choose a major, select a schooland explore funding options to reduce college debt.ClarifiCollege.org also features a calculator to determinerealistic debt for a given major and a newly producedvideo outlining Clarifi College’s process.

Members of the Clarifi College team have also beenestablishing a presence in the community, holding free‘College Planning Made Clear’ workshops and attendingcollege outreach events.

“It’s very important to us that students and families have

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a plan for college that fits their needs,” says Chris Chaplin,College Planning Advisor for Clarifi College. “At the sametime, we want to make sure families know aboutstrategies to lessen the amount of debt they take on.”

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In response to the growing need for college planningand student debt help, Clarifi held a ‘Paying for College’phone bank with CBS 3 and Consumer Reporter JimDonovan in October.

Interviews were also aired during the event to discussthe importance of planning for college, alternative plansto save money and how Clarifi can help students explorebetter repayment options for student debt.

Answering the Call for Student Debt Help“[Clarifi] can understand everything from credit debt tostudent loan debt and they’re valuable resource toeveryone in our region,” says Jim Donovan.

Over the course of an hour and a half, team membersfrom Clarifi and Community Legal Services answeredover 300 calls.

Clarifi College Ramps UpCollege planning program introduces new website & outreach efforts

ClarifiCollege.org, the new website for Clarifi’s college planning program.

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Maintaining financial health canbe similar to the weight lossprocess. For many, losing theweight is difficult, but maintaininga healthy weight over timebecomes the real challenge. Itrequires a change of behaviorover time, self-motivation andoften some type of externalsupport or encouragement to stay on track.

This same model can be appliedto one’s financial health. At Clarifi,we see many clients facingimmediate financial challenges,whether it’s a low credit score,potential housing foreclosure,budget deficit or overwhelmingcredit card debt. We help manytake positive steps to resolveissues and achieve financial goals.In some cases, clients need moreto move them along in theprocess. In other cases, clientsneed continued support afterthey have reached or met aninitial goal.

Clarifi Coach to Enhance Existing ServicesCoaching to Improve Long-Term Financial Health

Clarifi believes the behaviorchange process is critical forclients to achieve lifelong financialliteracy. Coaching is an impactfulintervention that supportsbehavior change and developsfinancial capability by allowingindividuals to practice financialskills in a supported environment.

Clarifi Coach was developed toenhance our existing services andprovide our clients withpersonalized, post-counselingsupport. Clarifi is excited tolaunch Clarifi Coach in early 2014with a 12-month pilot. Initialprogram testing, curriculumdevelopment and volunteertraining are underway.

Each participating client is pairedwith a volunteer financial coachfor a six-month period. Thevolunteer coach acts as amotivator and a sounding boardas the client works toward theirindividual financial goals.

Coaches will meet monthly withtheir clients over the phone tosupport and motivate clients tostay on track towards personalfinancial goals such as buildingsavings, reducing debt andimproving credit.

The new program will eventuallyincorporate an online tool to helpclients and their coaches trackand monitor their spending,document progress toward goalsand access financial resources.

The addition of Clarifi Coachillustrates Clarifi’s commitment tothe changing needs of our clientsand supporting them through allphases of their financial journey.Initial funding for Clarifi Coach isprovided by Barclays.

Volunteer Coaches Wanted• We are looking for additional volunteers to add to our

roster of coaches. Financial background is not required; comfort level with basic financial concepts is helpful; full training provided.

• Six month commitment required; a few hours each month; flexible schedule; required attendance at three events.

For more information and to apply, contact: Thomas Revelle at trevelle@clarifi.org or (267) 546-0296.

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Financial Empowerment Centers Counsels Thousands Continued from page 1

The outcomes collected to date are impressive and willcontinue to improve as we hit the three-month markwith clients. Close to 500 client outcomes will bereached by the end of the year. Here are some of theresults that have been reported so far:

Clarifi, in partnership with The City of Philadelphia,initially opened six centers to provide free financialcounseling to mostly low and moderate-incomeresidents. The Centers are based on the successful NewYork City model, launched by Mayor Michael Bloombergin 2008.

Under a three-year grant funded by BloombergPhilanthropies, Philadelphia and five other cities are nowimplementing the program. The grants will support theprogram in the five cities for three years and help buildan infrastructure, while making a case to local budgetdirectors and elected officials that the program shouldbe publicly funded.

Philadelphia’s Financial Empowerment Centers, now atseven, are scattered throughout low incomeneighborhoods identified throughout the city, in areasincluding Center City, North and West Philadelphia and Germantown.

The financial counselors are tasked with helping clientsmeet very specific goals through a series of in-personand phone counseling sessions. Goals are tangible andinclude opening a savings account, improving orestablishing credit and taking control of debt.

Outcomes are a big component of the program fromthe perspective of both the client and the funder. It’salso important for the client to have a goal and see theyare making progress. Three-month follow-upappointments are set after a client completes their firstsession to check progress, revisit issues and provideongoing support.

“Knowledge is power. [TheFinancial Empowerment Centers]have made a world of difference inour lives,” says Sonny Jefferson,standing with his wife Jamila andtheir daughter.

Reduced debt by 10% 46%

Increased credit score by 35 points 26%

Established and maintained savings account for 3 months 4%

Established credit 3%

Increased savings by 2% of net annual income 11%

Opened or transitioned to safe bank account 10%

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Clarifi and its FinanciallyHers program have been chosenas the first recipients of a grant from The Nina PennachiettiFamily Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation.

The grant will support FinanciallyHers, an educationprogram that has helped over 2,000 women take controlof their finances and make more informed decisions forthemselves and their families.

The Nina Pennachietti Family Fund honors the legacy ofNina Pennachietti, who worked three jobs as a widow tosupport her seven children in South Philadelphia. It’shard-working women like Nina that FinanciallyHers aimsto empower, making this grant an ideal fit for the program.

Clarifi and FinanciallyHers extend their thanks to TheNina Pennachietti Family Fund of The PhiladelphiaFoundation for their support.

(Left to right) Linda Descano, The Nina Pennachietti Family Fund, Patty Hasson, President of Clarifi, Maggi Kirk, The Philadelphia Foundation, Dan Pennachietti & Frank Squilla of The Nina Pennachietti Family Fund.

Clarifi is 1st Grantee of Nina Pennachietti Family Fund

Clarifi and Deloitte Hold Financial Workshop for Students

Clarifi College recently held a ‘College and Finances’workshop in partnership with the Deloitte EducationCollaborative (DEC) and KIPP Charter School. Over thirtystudents attended.

During the first half of the workshop, students looked at howmoney is viewed in popular culture, healthy money habitsand how using a credit card versus cash can affect spending.

The second half was dedicated to the college planningprocess. Chris Chaplin, College Planning Advisor forClarifi College, talked with the students about options topay for college and how student debt could impact theirlives before and after graduation.

Additionally, mentors from Deloitte exchanged giftswith their students. Clarifi Board Member StephenDelaney, a Partner for Deloitte and Khalid Green,Coordinator for the Deloitte Education Collaborative andSenior Associate for Deloitte were also in attendance.

A member of the Deloitte Education Collaborative helps astudent with an exercise in money management.

Clarifi President Patty Hasson was named as one of Main Line Today’s ‘Power Women’ for 2013. Honorees are recognizedeach year for making a positive impact on our region and exhibiting “passion” and “ingenuity” in their work.

Patty, along with 22 other local women, was formally honored during Main Line Today’s ‘Women on the Move’ awardsluncheon at Drexelbrook. NBC10 Anchor/Consumer Reporter Tracy Davidson hosted the event.

Patty Hasson Named One of Main Line Today's 'Power Women'

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Clarifi Winner of 2013 NFCC Making a Difference Award

Clarifi was pleased to receive the National Foundation for Credit Counseling2013 Making a Difference Member Agency Award for their leadership andinnovation in providing consumers with the tools they need for lifelongfinancial literacy.

Anita Brown, Chief Operating Officer of Clarifi, was on hand to accept theaward from Steve Piotrowski, President, Advantage Credit Counseling of Western PA.

Said Mr. Piotrowski, “Innovative. Forward-thinking. Visionary.These are all words that could be used to describe this year’sMaking the Difference Member Agency of the Year. Add creative,well-respected and consumer-focused and you have the perfectformula for success, something this agency defines.

They say it’s all in a name. Their name is actually a verb, a mandatefor action. At [Clarifi], action-packed is just another way todescribe business as usual. What’s their secret? Everything theydo is both consumer-focused and mission-focused — helpingpeople identify and secure the assets that are important in theirlives. Living up to their name, they have become relentless inpursuit of new ideas to help consumers reach their goals…”

(Left to right) Anita Brown & Patty Hasson of Clarifi, Tracy Davidson of NBC10,Markita Morris-Louis & Kathy Seasholtz of Clarifi.

Anita Brown, Chief Operating Office of Clarifi, acceptsthe NFCC ‘Making a Difference’ award from Steve

Piotrowski, President of Advantage Credit Counseling.

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