Meet Chelsea Addison of Financial Friends

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Addison.

Chelsea Addison was raised in Atlanta, GA. Upon graduating from North Atlanta High School, she received a full scholarship to The College of Wooster from The Posse Foundation, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2014. Following her graduation, Chelsea was accepted into Teach for America and moved to St. Louis, MO. There she pursued her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education while teaching first and second grade at Shaw Visual & Performing Arts Elementary School. During her third year of teaching, Chelsea ran for office and was elected as the youngest director and board secretary to serve on the School District of University City’s Board of Education. She also serves as a Board of Director for the nonprofit Ready Readers, servicing early childhood readers in St. Louis. Chelsea published Savannah’s Savings Jar in January 2019 as the first book in a collection to financially educate elementary students through her publishing and media company, Addwin Publishing & Media. Chelsea is now primarily focused on creating audio, video, curriculum, and books to financially educate children through her nonprofit Financial Friends Foundation.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I experienced a huge culture shock when I left Atlanta for college. Going to college in the midwest separated me from family, friends, and pushed me far outside of my comfort zone.

I had to learn who I was and what I stood for while I battled low self-esteem.
If it wasn’t for my “why”, I wouldn’t have been able to persist through these struggles and face my challenges confidently even when I had doubts.  

After graduation, I moved to St. Louis to become a teacher. Two months after I moved to St. Louis, Michael Brown was murdered. The city of St. Louis was further divided by race and I was forced to recognize the harsh realities the United States struggles to grapple with.

While my community struggled to attain justice, I was left internally conflicted because my long-standing reality of black excellence was confronted by a widely accepted norm of mediocrity for my people. I met people who didn’t like me because of the color of my skin and who wouldn’t respect me because I am a woman. Still I rose.

Despite these challenges along with those I faced in the classroom as a teacher, or in my career as an entrepreneur, I refuse to back down.

Every entrepreneur can relate to the roller coaster ride of ups, downs, and loops when it comes to business. I’ve encountered my fair share while starting my nonprofit, Financial Friends Foundation. However, my approaches to overcoming these challenges rely on building and maintaining relationships with those who can ensure sustainable justice is realized. I want to work with other elected officials to raise awareness to change policies and add mandates that will incorporate financial education for students. Amplify the voices of the students, educators, and parents directly impacted. I strive to raise awareness about the massive wealth gaps and expand our team by partnering with people and organizations with aligned missions and visions.

Please tell us about Financial Friends.
By 2053, the average wealth of Black Americans will be $0.

I agree with the sentiments of Claud Anderson, that “we must intercede with an emergency intervention that addresses the economic trajectory of low income and Black Americans”. Black Americans are over-represented in this nation’s welfare, poverty, unemployment, and homeless. I ultimately want to be apart of successfully uplifting the black community, and I recognize one way success can be manifested is through economically empowering our HISTORICALLY marginalized and financially forgotten people.

We need an economic empowerment plan in elementary school to provide a foundation for future levels of schooling to build upon. Financial Friends envisions a world where every child has access to support systems and experiences that catalyze wealth and dismantle poverty.

Our mission is to use a collection of tools, technology, and experiences that build Pre-K – 5th graders financial literacy to close burgeoning financial gaps. Our charge is to address the causes of the racial dilemma rather than the symptoms: lack of distribution, wealth, power, and resources. I stand on the principles of educational equity and strives to bridge the opportunity gap through accountability, advocacy, and policy. I believe a strong financial beginning is vital in ensuring financial wellness for our youth and communities as a whole.

I wrote Savannah’s Savings Jar to teach children ages 8-12 about entrepreneurship, the importance of saving, lessons on investing, budgets, expenses, and more. I believe it is important to not only engage students at an early age about how to count money but also how to use it so they can build habits to become financially secure adults.

My focus is economic empowerment by financially educating the youth, so as they grow the habits of using money are close wealth gaps instead of widening. I simply want people to JOIN ME IN THIS MOVEMENT.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
To go back in time and start over would potentially create a different outcome, and I am so grateful for where I am now. I wouldn’t do anything differently, although I did hesitate to say leaving my job as an elementary teacher. At the end of the day, I took a risk to choose a purpose I was being called to and I don’t regret it. This path has taught me grit and how to navigate the financial, educational, technological and business/entrepreneurship sectors respectively. I have pivoted several times in order to meet the needs of those I wish to serve and I am sure I will continue to do so. I know who Chelsea Addison is and I wouldn’t trade the path that got me here for anything. My mistakes and my mess continue to be turned into triumphs.

Pricing:

• $15.97 for Savannah’s Savings Jar (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indie Bound, Books-A-Million and more

Contact Info:

• Website: https://financialfriendsbooks.com/
• Phone: 4045422018
• Email: chelsea@financialfriendsbooks.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/financialfriends
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/financialfriendsbooks
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FinEd4Kids

Image Credit:
Kaylah Waite, Jeff Lucas

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