This story is part of a series that spotlights our employees here at GreenPath. We hope these stories will give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their daily lives and how they strive to make an impact by helping people improve their financial wellness.
My name is Omari Hall, and I’m a Learning Experience Designer here at GreenPath. Prior to this role, I served our clients as a Financial Counselor.
I was born and raised in Detroit, and despite the City’s challenges, I was fortunate to have many unique opportunities growing up. Academic achievement was a high priority in my family.
As a result, my parents guided me through both public and private education experiences. They also exposed me to philanthropic work at a young age. Experiences like this have helped me develop an empathetic worldview and understand how setbacks and circumstances can affect one’s quality of life.
My parents, and experiences, have also taught me that to bring about positive change, it starts with yourself. You need to work on being the change that you’d like to see in the world.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE BEHIND GREENPATH
Our team members make GreenPath what it is. We would not be who we are without the creativity, passion, and dedication of these individuals. These are the stories of the people behind GreenPath who answer the phones when a client calls and who work behind the scenes.
Education that Serves
GreenPath is committed to improving the financial lives of people in Detroit, and we are adapting our services to better meet community needs.
With the launch of listening surveys, the intention of Detroit Voices is to connect with people of color who have an earned distrust of financial institutions.
First, by listening, we can better serve and focus on building relevant and accessible resources lifting up the fundamentals of credit and household finances.
I’m excited to soon share with people a learning experience that will provide empathetic, judgment-free education designed for what’s happening now.
My Truest Self
As I approach my career at GreenPath and reflect on my experiences, I’ve found that this has been the most comfortable work environment for me to be my truest self.
I started my work life as a grassroots community organizer, where I acted as a liaison between residents and their elected officials. I was given the task of helping to empower residents to shape the decisions being made in their community. This was the moment where I realized my true life’s passion: helping to empower underrepresented communities.
Whether these be communities of color, inner-city communities, or any other marginalized group, I strive to be an advocate. I also seek to support young adults like myself, who feel lost as they transition into adulthood and financial independence.
During my time as an organizer, particularly in the Inner City of Detroit, the factors that contributed to some of the city’s most pressing issues were fairly obvious. They ranged from poor school systems, extreme poverty, and unreasonable access to city services.
However, it wasn’t until my time at GreenPath that I realized one of the underlying factors leading to the continuation of this poverty cycle was a lack of access to financial education.
It became very clear to me how fundamentally important financial literacy is to sustain a reasonable quality of life, and how much of an impact we at GreenPath can make by being advocates for those in need.
Our culture has also inspired me to encourage others to take action to affect change in their communities. Whether that action is as simple as facilitating conversations around creating safer spaces for those with varied experiences, exercising the right to vote, or arranging meetings with local lawmakers to influence legislative change in our communities. ALL of our voices are essential if we are to work on being the change that we want to see.
