Florida State University Panama City and Cadence Bank are partnering to host Operation Hope, a free financial wellness seminar to help the community build a firm fiscal foundation.

Structured as a “lunch and learn” session to provide financial planning tools for students and the public, Operation Hope will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at FSU Panama City’s St. Joe Community Foundation Lecture Hall in the Holley Academic Center, 4750 Collegiate Drive, Panama City.

The seminar is free to attend, but pre-registration is encouraged at EventBrite.com (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/financial-health-building-wealth-tickets-916218964587). If you can’t make it in person, join via Zoom starting at 11:30 a.m.; register at EventBrite to receive the Zoom link via email.

A complimentary lunch will be provided, and all attendees will be entered into a drawing to win of several gift cards. For more information about the event, contact Diana Simpson at dgsimpson@pc.fsu.edu.

Financial wellbeing coach Mark Robinson of Operation Hope will lead the seminar. Topics will include building credit and improving personal wealth to help retirement preparation or to create a pathway to home ownership and vehicle purchases. Discussions will cover lowering interest rates, student loans and small business loans. 

Robinson specializes in personal credit and small business coaching. His experience is in one-on-one financial counseling, assessing personal finances, creating budgets and establishing and rebuilding credit.

Cadence Bank and Operation HOPE have been partners since 2017 with the launch of Cadence’s HOPE Inside location in Memphis, Tennessee. Operation Hope’s mission is to offer tangible programs and initiatives that address economic inequality, financial illiteracy, social injustice, inequitable access to capital and lack of financial dignity. For more information, visit the website OperationHope.org.

The seminar is part of FSU Panama City’s series of Illumination events, which provide opportunities to hear different viewpoints and learn from unique experiences. FSU PC is committed to providing a comprehensive calendar of events, workshops and forums throughout the year that encourages the community to engage in meaningful conversations and educational opportunities.