Runners Rising and Wealth Between Us Partner For "The Game Plan" Financial Literacy Course
Runners Rising partners with financial literacy non-profit Wealth Between Us to mentor UTSA Student Athletes
Pictured are Taylor Martin (Left) and Dallis Meeks (Center), Alumnae of UTSA’s Alvarez School of Business and Founders of Wealth Between Us, and former UTSA Football Running Back Jarveon Williams (Right).
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The Runners Rising Project, the Crowd Funded NIL Collective supporting UTSA’s student Athletes, is happy to announce a partnership with financial literacy non-profit, Wealth Between Us to host one of their signature financial education programs known as The Game Plan, led by former UTSA Football Running Back Jarveon Williams.
“Wealth Between Us has a mission to increase wealth equity and decrease the wealth gap in communities and individuals that are heavily impacted by financial burdens and wealth disparities via financial education,” said Co-Founder and President Taylor Martin. “These programs include Higher Learning, focused primarily on high school and early college students; Generational Wealth Leaders, an investing program targeting minority and underserved youth; and The Game Plan, a program geared towards collegiate and high school athletic students, which is where Jarveon and the Runners Rising Project comes in”.
Jarveon Williams, who serves as Wealth Between Us’ Head of Collegiate Athletic Programing, is responsible for co-leading and executing The Game Plan — a program dedicated to student athletes who are actively receiving endorsements, brand deals, and other forms of compensation for their name and likeness as an athlete. This program provides financial education on a variety of topics relevant to the athletes current and future lifestyle goals.
“The goal of this program is for athletes to become better prepared to manage their personal finances and manage large sums of money that they are or will likely be awarded in a variety of ways,” Jarveon said. The Runners Rising Project and The Wealth Between Us put on a beta course for the program over the Summer and included UTSA Football Wide Receiver De’Corian “JT” Clark, Cornerback Zah Frazier, Place Kicker Jared Sackett, and UTSA Women’s Track and Field’s Makenzie Grimes. On top of financial literacy and wealth generation skills, the students were also provided real world advice from Jarveon, as he shared his personal experiences with finances and money management as a former collegiate and pro-athlete.
Dallis Meeks, Co-Founder and Vice President had the following to say about the Beta Course: “Overall, we enjoyed working with the students immensely. Watching the lightbulb moments happen and engaging with them in insightful discussions, made the sessions come to life,” Dallis said. “The students brought so much energy and enthusiasm, leading the sessions became just half of the fun! The students also appreciated receiving real-world insight from our Head of Collegiate Athletic Programming, Jarveon Williams.”
Makenzie Grimes had the following to say about the program: “The sessions were incredibly beneficial, every young adult needs classes like this to teach real world skills. Many kids struggle with money, whether it’s a large amount or budgeting a smaller portion so it’s important to take the time to learn how to manage it appropriately. Learning how to make money work for you is something that can change someone’s future.”
Jared Sackett, when asked for comments stated, “I really enjoyed the in-depth explanations & examples used to help understand the whole concept instead of rushing through.”
“We’re incredibly excited and proud to work with Dallis, Taylor, and Jarveon as we strive to provide mentorship opportunities to UTSA’s student athletes,” Runners Rising’s Executive Director, Eddie Benningfield said. “This is another avenue and example of the San Antonio and UTSA community stepping up and helping our city lead the way in community-driven NIL opportunities, and making sure our athletes have a solid foundation once their time at UTSA is over.”
Sign up for The Game Plan will be made available to UTSA Student Athletes via the resources portal at runnersrisingproject.org. Courses will be held on a quarterly basis, with the next course occurring in Spring/Summer 2023. Information on the next class will be released via Runners Rising’s various social media platforms. For more information on Wealth Between Us, visit wealthbetweenus.org.
