ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Operation HOPE, a nonprofit that provides financial literacy education and coaching to Americans of all ages, is pleased to announce it received a $12,000 donation from Athene USA (“Athene”), a leading provider of retirement savings products. The donation was made as part of Athene’s presence during the 2020 Bank Insurance & Securities Association (BISA) convention and marked the second year of Athene’s partnership with Operation HOPE.

The majority of Americans in underserved communities live without financial opportunity, many in a generational cycle of poverty. Athene partnered with Operation HOPE to spotlight a critical issue in America – the lack of financial knowledge, which is at the core of generational poverty. When the conference participants arrived at Athene’s booth, they were encouraged to “pull a block for HOPE” as part of an oversized Jenga game feature to support the nonprofit’s mission. When participants who successfully removed a block with a dollar amount, Athene pledged to donate that amount of money to Operation HOPE.

“We are grateful for Athene’s support for our mission and honored that our work was highlighted at the BISA convention again this year,” said Mary Ehrsam, President of Partnerships, Operation HOPE. “This support will allow us to extend our impact in communities across the country. Athene continues to support us in a creative way that goes beyond routine community service, which helps us extend the exposure of our mission. We are very grateful for the donation and partnership.”

Each participant received an Operation HOPE lapel pin. The symbolic red arrow depicted in the pin’s design represents the journey to a more secure financial future. This brand element is used to illustrate the transformative mindset of HOPE and the personal and community uplift that Operation HOPE empowers.

“Athene is committed to supporting and advocating for causes that help people of all ages better secure their financial future,” said Rod Mims, SVP of National Sales at Athene. “Our commitment to community is an integral part of our core values. The partnership with Operation HOPE at the BISA convention gave us an opportunity to further their mission to empower adults and youth with the tools of financial knowledge to help create a secure future.”

About Operation HOPE

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to “silver rights” with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through our community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. Project 5117 is our multi-year four-pronged approach to combating economic inequality that aims to improve financial literacy, increase business role models and business internships for youth in underserved communities, and stabilize the American dream by boosting FICO scores. Operation HOPE recently received its fourth consecutive 4-star charity rating for fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability by the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. For more information: www.OperationHOPE.org. Follow Operation HOPE on Twitter @OperationHOPE and Facebook

About Athene USA

Athene USA is a subsidiary of Athene Holding Ltd, a leading retirement services company that had total assets of $146.9 billion as of December 31, 2019. Athene USA is an Iowa-domiciled corporation that serves as the U.S. holding company for Athene’s annuity operations in the United States. Headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, Athene USA serves customers in all 50 states, and through its predecessor companies, has been serving American consumers for more than 100 years. Further information about Athene can be found at www.athene.com.