The Whatcom Dream - Bellingham (WA)

5 /5 Trinity Banks: I have taken this class twice. Both times with Trudy as the instructor. My daughter Jazzmyn, took the class with me the 2nd time. We both really enjoyed the classes and learned a lot from each session! We have each implemented the snow ball effect of paying down credit card debt taught to us by Trudy and through Bill Ramseys financial literacy series as well. Each of us, my daughter and myself, immediatly began saving twards am emergency fund, which we have used and replenished several times. I have often reflected upon Trudys teachings about our 1st money memories and the effects of those thoughts on my financial skills today. I would highly recommend the Whatcom Dream to anyone wanting to learn more about money and finances and our evolving relationships with them.

1 /5 matt keller: I had a terrible experience in my class. My instructor Kevin covered the same basic material over and over. It was pretty much meant for a 6th grader and my intelligence was somewhat insulted. What made me even more disappointed was that Kevin said he was there to help us out of poverty. I told him I was an aspiring author and had a few books independently published. He showed no interested whatsoever in my personal aspirations. I figure if you wanted to help someone out of poverty buying one of their books is a good way to do so. I wouldnt recommend his class to anyone.

5 /5 Ali Michelin: The Whatcom Dream is an incredible mission, run by an amazing group of inspiring people that have made a huge difference in my life, and no doubt in the Whatcom Community! Ive taken a series of their classes and continued to receive ongoing support even after I graduated. Their Financial Literacy program is so eye opening and I know I will take what I learned with me for life. They also offer a scholarship for program graduates who attend Whatcom Community College, Bellingham Technical College and other schools in the area. Trudy Shurvaloff is an absolute angel and it is so obvious how much she cares about the work shes doing and each person that comes through their programs! She has connected me with some resources that were above and beyond what I expected! John Walstad was the facilitator for the class I took, along with Trudy, and its been great getting to know him too! His approach in class made it really fun, and he also has a super solid sense of how to help people through their journey to financial well being, at whatever level is needed. He is very down to earth and has helped me wrangle the details of my confusing financial situation, along with practical advice about life in general! He helped me make the difficult decision to repair my broken down car and get it back on the road instead of selling it for very little and taking on a new car with a payment or another unpredictable used car. I would recommend the Financial Literacy program to anyone that wants to better understand their relationship with money, understand the perspective of different financial cultures and people from different backgrounds, gain knowledge about local resources available to us, and learn practical ways to get a strong handle on personal finances, from building credit, getting out of debt, creating a budget, avoiding scams, buying a home and MUCH more! I cant thank them enough for how theyve helped me and it makes me so happy to know what theyre continuing to do in this area as they expand their reach throughout Whatcom County!