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Decision Partners Customer Recognized by the White House for Excellence in Financial Literacy

September 15, 2008 – Boston, MA and Lexington, KY – Decision Partners, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to financial literacy education, today announced that the Race For Education, a Financial Literacy 101 customer, has been recognized by The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI), along with the President's Council on Financial Literacy, as “among a small group of innovative and effective programs and partnerships.”

The Race For Education is a national scholarship organization funded in part by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Assets for Independence Program. The organization provides need-based college scholarships to the children of those employed in the thoroughbred racing industry. Since 2006, the organization has required scholarship recipients to complete Financial Literacy 101, an online financial literacy education course produced by Decision Partners.

"Decision Partners' online financial literacy program allows us to provide a valuable, user-friendly and consistent course to students across the county. Our program serves young people from low-income families that have little or no access to advice or financial role models,” said Elisabeth Jensen, President and Executive Director of The Race For Education. “We believe the course helps our students make better choices in selecting colleges, as well helping them learn how to manage their own personal financial responsibilities. Its results can be measured in the significant number of our students that are graduating with little or no debt.”

Ms. Jensen continued, “Our strategic alliance with Decision Partners has allowed us to fully utilize our federal grant, provide necessary reporting with outstanding results and, in fact, allowed us to receive additional funding of $470,000 to serve an additional 250 students."

Financial Literacy 101 is an interactive, multimedia experience that offers more than brochures, one-time lectures or simple web pages. The course allows organizations to provide critical financial education programs to entire populations of students, while also customizing the experience to each individual student. The course offers a personalized linear curriculum that not only covers important financial topics every student should master, but also integrates proven strategies that help students question their (often mistaken) assumptions about spending, saving, and debt – the first step to safer decision-making. In addition, students love the course with over 90% reporting that they would recommend it to a friend.

“We are so pleased to play a continuing role in The Race For Education’s important mission,” said Austin Jackson, CEO of Decision Partners. “We look forward to helping even more students in the coming years through this alliance, and encourage other organizations to follow this proven model.”

The Race For Education began requiring Financial Literacy 101 in 2006 as part of Decision Partners’ Scholarship Provider Program. Financial Literacy 101 is implemented in a variety of contexts including integration with University 101 courses, TRIO/Student Support Services programs, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) interventions, and as a general education resource for any college student. Financial Literacy 101 is also licensed on a custom-branded basis to state-affiliated educational lenders, banks, and other organizations.

For more information on bringing Financial Literacy 101 to your organization, please contact Jim Pfeiffer, VP of Customer Development, at 978-562-1390 or by email at jim@decisionpartners.org.

About Decision Partners

Decision Partners is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces Financial Literacy 101, an online course designed to teach students the skills they need to effectively manage money in college. Decision Partners financial literacy courses have been endorsed by organizations such as the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and College Parents of America, and was recently covered in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

About The Race For Education

The Race for Education is a national education scholarship foundation funded by various parties related to or with an interest in the Thoroughbred racing industry. It is a nonprofit 501 (C) (3) organization established to improve the quality of life for young people through education, attract younger, better educated individuals to careers in the Thoroughbred industry and help establish the racing industry as a good citizen in the community. The organization also provides grants for equine industry-related programs such as English as a Second Language and GED preparation.