Section B W
Message from the President e are celebrating
youth this month at Fifth Third Bank. With school starting a new year and sports and
other extra-curricular activi- ties in full swing there is a lot of attention being paid to the generation that will carry the mantel for our future. And as you might guess, there is a lot of discussion about how well we are preparing our children to achieve the key milestones that usher in adulthood, like leav- ing home, completing school, first job, marriage and starting a family, and becoming financially independent. According to some research-
ers the “20 something” youth of today are prolonging the achievement of most of those mile- stones until into their thir- ties, a pros- pect that has broad implica- tions for soci- ety as a whole. In an article from the New York Times magazine on Aug. 22 entitled “The Post-Adolescent, Pre-Adult, Not-Quite-Decided Life Stage,” the author describes a new life stage called “emerging adulthood” where young people languish until the landscape (economic environment) or their ambition to achieve is properly motivated to begin the move- ment through the adult mile- stones. While there is debate about whether the issue is the current economic and political polarization that has largely left young people on the sidelines or a psychological condition- ing of this generation of young people, it is clear that traditional methods of addressing and/or accepting this phenomena are ineffective.
David Girodat Thank You F From my perspective one of
the most important milestones on the path to adulthood is financial independence. By that we mean that you are able to live on your own from the money you generate. Without finan- cial independence the other milestones become infinitely more difficult to reach. An obstacle to achieving financial independence is often the lack of knowledge on how to manage your finances. Even some the smartest young people I know, taking complex courses of study at some of our finest universi- ties, are at a loss to explain the banking system and the corner- stones for success with their own finances.
Fifth Third Bank has long
considered financial educa- tion a pillar of our community outreach programming. Today more than ever we recognize that not everything is taught in school-based curriculums. We also know that the younger we start the more likely the basics of good money management will stay with a child for life. That is why our Young Bank- ers Club begins with fifth grade students. We have high school programs that we teach that deals with credit and spending practices and through many non-profits across our city we teach Fresh Start programs for the unbanked who are trying to get back on their feet.
In addi-
tion to personal finance we have education programs for small businesses.
While it is true we know that
young people who are educated in the basics of personal finan- cial management ultimately make good Fifth Third Bank customers, we are not selling with our outreach financial education programs. We are doing what we should be doing, serving the communities where we conduct our business.
It is
what you should come to expect from Fifth Third.
It is how we
maintain our “Community Connection.”
Personal
David F. Girodat President, Fifth Third Bank, Eastern Michigan
Branding By Chris Bryant BRAND STRATEGIST
Redefining ‘cool’ It has always been interesting
to me how certain fads come and go. What’s popular today can be a thing of the past tomorrow. In the technology driven world that we live in, it appears that basic social graces, interpersonal skills and the attributes of a gentleman are be- coming things of the past. Will that really work for today’s youth?
No matter how much we text
as a society, there will always be a need to walk into a room, make eye contact and offer a firm hand- shake to another human being. The smartest smartphone will never be able to do that for you. It seems
somewhere, somebody said “cool” is defined by how low your pants can sag without qualifying as in- decent exposure, and the masses seem to have agreed. Somewhere, somebody said cool is defined by how mean you can look in the face and by how much you can emulate a rapper on a video, and a throng of young people followed suit.
It appears that somebody said
cool is based on how young you were when you stopped going to school instead of how young you were when you graduated. Al- though all this may be celebrated in select settings, today’s young person must carefully count the cost by how they personally define
cool. How you define it will have a profound impact on the trajectory of your life and career.
As I travel the country speaking
on personal branding and Busi- ness etiquette, I’m on a mission to redefine how “cool” is defined. It’s about being educated, articulate, multifaceted and multi-dimension- al with an ability to navigate any setting.
It’s being able to effortlessly
shoot hoops in the neighborhood by morning, play a round of golf and attend a business function all in the same day if necessary. It’s having the savvy to give each moment exactly what the moment
requires. Today I proclaim that being a true gentleman is the new “cool.”
Chris Bryant, a leading authority
on personal branding, business eti- quette and customer relations, is a former director of staff training and speaker for the legendary Ritz-Carl- ton Hotel Company. As a keynote speaker, consultant and executive coach. His clients include Nestlé, Chrysler, Mattel, Black Enterprise magazine, and the U.S. Depart- ment of Treasury to name a few. For more information visit www.
ChrisBryantPresents.com or send e-mail to Info@ChrisBryantPre-
sents.com.
2010 Fifth Third eBus community partners for a successful tour
ifth Third Bank just completed its 2010 eBus Tour that lasted from Aug.12 through Aug. 21. Having outreached to more than 700 area residents, the 2010 tour was a hands-down suc- cess. The bus visited eight area communities and provided information and resources that
included free credit reports, credit counseling, information on how to sign up for home heating as- sistance and home heating credits, access to free legal services and provided free dental exams and preventive care for children under 18 years of age.
We thank everyone who visited the bus and took advantage of the resources provided by for-
profit and nonprofit organizations, state and city human service agencies and the community partners listed below who teamed up with Fifth Third Bank for the 2010 eBus Tour. The dedica- tion, hard work and “all hands on deck” attitude of the partner organizations who provided their expertise made it possible to extend our outreach efforts to so many people.
■WARM Training ■ U-SNAP-BAC ■ Michigan State Housing Development Authority ■ Michigan State University Extension Office ■ Michigan Small Business Administration ■ City of Livonia Unemployment Insurance Agency
■ Michigan Mexican Town Welcome Center/ Mexican Town Commercial Properties
■ Legal Aid and Defender ■ Detroit Public Schools Food Services Department ■ MiCAFE ■ Detroit Area Agency on Aging ■ Ryan Mack of Optimum Capital Management ■ New Calvary Baptist Church ■ The Eastern Market ■ CEED
■ City of Detroit Office of Targeted Business Development
■ Edward Deeb
■ Michigan Small Business and Technical Development Center
■ Young Detroit Bulders ■Wayne County Health Authority ■ Detroit Workforce Development Agency ■ Nolan Family Health Center ■ The Childrens’ Center ■ Smile! Michigan Mobile Dentists ■ Detroit Department of Human Services ■ Southwest Housing Solutions ■ Michigan Department of Human Services ■ DTE Energy ■ THAW ■ Arab American Chaldean Council (ACC) ■ Radio One ■ Jerdine Unlimited ■ Samaritan Center ■ Channel One Productions ■ 104.3 WOMC
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
September 8-14, 2010
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