The purpose of the Brooks Bunch Business Academy is to empower students to make sound financial and business decisions and prepare them for a future of financial success and security. BBBA also introduces students to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and building their own version of “tomorrow” by helping students learn what it means to be an entrepreneur, from creating a business plan to performing market research. It was our desire to create a business & financial literacy program that would also focus on college readiness, community service, career exposure, and entrepreneurship and life skills.
Fifth Third Bank, Derrick Brooks Charities and Everfi have collaborated in a personal finance and entrepreneurship program presented by Everfi. With this partnership, we hope to send a message to high school students that financial capability is an increasingly important skill, and this course builds that in a fun and engaging way.

Derrick Brooks Charities in partnership with Fifth Third Bank, and Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School will be holding these financial literacy courses after school each week at Brooks DeBartolo. This class is available to 35 high school students per school year.

Derrick Brooks Charities and Fifth Third Back in partnership, offers students the opportunity to learn about:

• Save money and build wealth
• Negotiate great deals as an entrepreneur
• Budget creation, categorization and learning to manage debt
• Participate in career training/exposure
• Take part in educational field trips
• How the Federal Reserve System works
• Financing Higher Education
• Take part in community service projects and team building exercises
• Be exposed to small and large business owners

At the conclusion of the program, students will be able to apply financial skills & knowledge to real-world situations at 3 levels: High School, College, and Post-College. We look forward to another successful year with this program and thank you again to our partners, EverFi and Fifth Third Bank.