LaTasha Smith admits she was defeating herself, scraping by with no future for herself or her daughter. She was afraid of seeing the bills, hearing from bill collectors and being embarrassed from not having enough money. That’s when LaTasha heard about Tacoma Goodwill’s Financial Literacy program and learned “…to manage my life responsibly.” It’s with pride she now points to a computerized budget that helps her separate her wants from her needs and her work toward a business administration degree. “If you’re serious about really taking a look at your finances, you need to take the class to give you the tools.”

That’s Financial Literacy. Open to the public and supported for a second year in 2008 with a $50,000 grant from KeyBank and the Key Foundation, Financial Literacy provides classes on handling checking and savings accounts, investing and managing credit. There were more than 600 participants in classes across Pierce County, Longview and Yakima; and partnerships with two dozen organizations and programs. For LaTasha, life without the skills she obtained would have been difficult. “I wouldn’t have the self-esteem. I’d still be walking in the dark, trying to find my way,” she said. “Now I can see what I’ve got ahead of me – it’s a path I can see.”