Cenea Jones

Candy has been drawn to many differing aspects of finance throughout her adult life. She first felt a desire to assist people in this area while working as a salesperson at Sears and found that many people were denied credit for reasons that could have been avoided if they had been more diligent about their finances.

After 16 years in retail she joined the staff of Public Service Credit Union where she has held many different positions over the last 16 years up to the present. In this capacity she has been able to council and assist many credit union members in behaviors that not only better their credit score, but their overall financial picture as well. It helps that her desires lines up with credit union goals as well.

While working with adults is rewarding her philosophy is to train up a child in the way he should go so that when he is old he will not depart from it. Thinking back over her childhood, she learned check writing and bill paying from her Mother an immigrant from Jamaica, mainly out of necessity. As a young adult she learned what not to do from many of her Sears customers. Most of us were not offered classes in school that would teach us to set aside an emergency fund, budget for our expenses, pay our bills on time, and avoid the credit card minimum payment trap. At the credit union she has worked with our program called “Dedicate to Graduate” that pays high school seniors at George Washington high school in Denver $5.00 for every semester “A” they receive while enrolled. She was astonished to learn that very few students participate in the program that offers them free money. Also of those that do attend the twenty-minute, free pizza, course held during lunchtime, many still believe, “if I have checks I must still have money”.

Candy encourages adults who have children to open an account for them to teach them how to handle their money so that tomorrow’s youth don’t have to start their financial future by making mistakes. We don’t have to complete the cycle of parents not teaching their children about finances. At age 12 a minor can open a checking account with a debit card at PSCU with a parent joint on the account. What better way to teach your children how to write and endorse a check, how to use a debit card and that all evasive check register where the addition and subtraction they learned can be put into practice. Unfortunately because it is so prevalent lately, we must also teach our children about fraud.

Candy strongly believes that it takes a village to raise a child. Over the past 12 years as a Sunday school teacher and youth counselor she has been a financial advisor to many children and young adults.

As a mentor with the Denver Rescue Mission’s Family and Senior Homeless Initiative, she has had the opportunity to work with and educate many willing adults over the past six years.

Candy is the mother of two young adult daughters, Erica , and Nichelle, she has a son in law Marc, and two grand children, Caleb and Camille, all who have benefited from her financial wisdom, some of it forced at times.

Candy looks forward to educating and assisting the young women of You Can Begin Again in finances and whatever role the Lord may lead her to fulfill in this chapter of her life.