Joanna Huffaker

Don't talk to Joanna about school starting in two weeks. Like most other fourteen year old girls, the last thing Joanna Huffaker wants to think about is that summer vacation is almost over. She would rather spend her time with her friend (who has been away most of the summer), eating ice cream, or talking about Horse Camp. Being born with cognitive delays does not change the fact that Joanna is your typical teenager.

Well, in one respect Joanna may be very different from the average teenager- she is very good at saving money. Joanna has been part of the Youth$ave Program at REACH Community Development for two years. REACH was established in 1982 by a group of community activists concerned about housing conditions in the Buckman neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Today, REACH serves seven inner southeast neighborhoods and provides affordable housing for close to 1000 people. As it has grown, REACH has continually developed programs that address the specific needs of its service area.

The Youth$ave Program was created in 1998. REACH teaches youth living in REACH housing how to save money and plan for the future using a goal-oriented approach. Each young person saves for an activity that is educational, entrepreneurial, artistic or athletic. The kids in Youth$ave are nine to eighteen years old. Some have never had a savings account but, with the help of Youth$ave, they become savvy money managers as they watch their savings grow. The Youth Program uses education, peer support and matching funds to cultivate successful goal setting and money saving habits in young people whose families have low incomes.

Joanna heard about the Youth$ave program from friends at school when she was in the sixth grade. In two years, Joanna has saved for swimming lessons, a memory card for her camera, and attends Horse Camp each August. Joanna earns money by doing chores and community service programs. Joanna deposits the money that she saves in an account set up by the Youth$ave program, which matches every dollar that she contributes with $2 in complementing funds. For example, Joanna helps at the Food Bank dividing food, setting tables, and cleaning up. She also participates in a local program called SOLV, which recruits members of the community to help clean up the areas around bus stops. Joanna and her mother Terry pick up trash around Joanna's own school bus stop.

When Joanna sets her mind to something, nothing gets in her way. She and her mom were planning a trip to Disneyland for over six months. Every month Joanna saved all $30 of her monthly allowance for her trip. She had to be especially responsible because the Youth program did not provide matching funds for a trip to Disneyland. When the Huffakers' finally went to Disneyland, Terry told Joanna that she could choose to spend her money however she wanted. There was one condition: Joanna could not buy anything until she had shopped around and knew what she really wanted. For three days Joanna made lists and comparison-shopped, then on the last day she bought what she really wanted-two stuffed animals, Figaro from Pinocchio and Marie from Aristocats.

One of the activities that Joanna enjoys the most about the Youth program is that every week they each take turns planning and ordering dinner for the entire group. They can order whatever food they choose, as long as they meet the budget and have enough for everyone. Joanna is not allowed to order her favorite food-candy- so she usually orders pizza or Chinese food instead. Besides ordering food at the meetings, they also learn about finances and the value of saving money. They also have learned how to be careful consumers of advertisements. Joanna has been especially effected by this lesson and frequently tells her mother the difference between good and bad advertisements.

Joanna Huffaker proves that learning to save is possible for people of any age and of any ability. Terry is grateful that the program provides a variety of people that serve as positive influences, setting goals and planning for the future. We could all learn a lot from kids like Joanna- just don't talk to her about classes, she has two more weeks of summer vacation to enjoy.