Current MMS Sites
17th Judicial District
In Blaine, Phillips, and Valley Counties, Cindy Dennis is setting up the framework for financial literacy training and workshops for youth in the Juvenile Court system and for other rural community members.
American Indian Business Leaders
Leia Loonsfoot is creating a website that will provide interactive, assessable financial education for American Indian K-12 and college students; it will also include links to resources and curricula and will allow participants to connect with mentors. She is working with AIBL chapters across the state.
Browning Community Development Corporation
Georgianna Horn and Ali Smith are implementing the Building Native Communities curriculum, tailoring it to provide the basics of financial education to Browning and Blackfeet reservation residents. They will also be conducting free tax preparation and tax rebate counseling. Their primary focus is on improving savings and budgeting habits among participants.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Billings
Tom Woods has a unique approach to his outreach -- he is focused on the Billings medical community. He teaches the CCCS course in Dollars and Sense and Bankruptcy.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Butte
Michaelynn Hawk is providing credit counseling services and implementing budgeting, first time home-buying, and debt management classes. She has also become a dynamic member of the Butte social service community with projects at the youth offender facility in Galen, outreach to residents in public housing, and service events that include many Butte service organizations.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Great Falls
Steve Cape is educating beneficiaries about financial management, providing credit counseling services, and implementing budgeting, first time home-buying, and debt management classes. He also teaches at Great Falls’ alternative high school, and works with the pre-release program and area drug court to provide financial management classes to offenders.
Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Kalispell
Tim Kirby is providing CCCS bankruptcy classes and is working with a shelter in Kalispell. Tim has established a satellite location in Polson and is working to develop another near Libby. He and his daughter have been active in service projects in their area.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Missoula
Amital Patel offers credit counseling services, teaches first-time home-buying classes around Missoula, and teaches budgeting and debt management classes.
Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Helena
Jolene Van Meeteren is educating offering the full range of CCCS courses in Helena. A newcomer to Helena, she has quickly moved to include the Veteran's Hospital, Boy Scouts, and others in her financial education efforts.
Crow Housing Authority
Amica Morning provides first time homebuyers with counseling regarding financial finances, teaches Building Native Communities Financial Skills for Families, supports the opening of an earned income tax credit service at the Housing Authority, and organizes a variety of service day activities in Crow Agency.
Domestic and Sexual Violence Service of Carbon County
This site in Red Lodge is recruiting a part-time member.
Farmers' Market
Jane Solie and Beth Ryan will be supporting the Missoula Farmers' MArket each weekend during the market season. They were recruited through UM.
Fort Belknap Small Business Development Center
Mildred Kinsey organized the site funding from within her community. Working with an AIBL chapter at Fort Belknap, she opened a free tax assistance center. She teaches financial education using the Building Native Communities course material.
Hays Community Economic Development Center
Marlene Werk is both organizing the center and teaching financial education in this community, which is part of the Fort Belknap reservation. She is a certified teacher for Building Native Communities.
Healing Tree (Northern Cheyenne)
Jen Price is a new member who traveled from Georgia to Montana to serve as a member. The Oweesta financial education material will be used in her classes.
homeWORD, Missoula
Meg Powell is working with homeWORD's financial management program. She teaches first time homebuyers classes as well as Financial Fitness classes that cover general financial management concepts. You can find an ad for her classes in the Missoula Independent.
homeWORD, Billings
Connie Genger joined homeWORD and MM$ during the middle of our program year. She is not new to service, however, as she is a former Peace Corps volunteer and applied though the Yellowstone County United Way volunteer site.
Native American Development Corporation
Darrell LaMere is providing American Indian-specific financial education workshops, working with traditional customs to enhance his trainings. He is utilizing an interactive education approach to better inform his beneficiaries. He is also certified as a Volunteer Income Tax preparer in order to help low-income individuals prepare their tax returns at no charge. Darrell’s primary goal is to give his participants a sustainable awareness of their finances; he will do this by providing practical tools to engender the idea that we have power over our finances, rather than that our financial situation has power over us.
National Affordable Housing Network
Michaelynn Hawk works at this site, as well as at CCCS, Butte. Here, she focuses on assistance to first time homebuyers.
The Poverello Center
Zach Thorup is working with residents and other clients of the Poverello Center, Joseph Residence, and Valor House. He is team teaching with Meg Powell at the Joseph Residence. Zach has been active in service events, especially Missoula's Project Homeless Connect, where he offered financial assistance to walk-in clients.
University Villages
Liz Austin is working at University Villages, providing free financial management counseling to residents who may have difficulty with expenses. She has also set up a free tax assistance site at the Villages with Tax Help Montana..
Willard Alternative High School
Jess Brinkerhoff has organized a semester-long curriculum for students at the alternative high school in Missoula. She organized the reported best-attended field trip for Willard students, when over 25 students attended a high school entrepreneur all day seminar in Missoula.
