Firms giving back: Anders CPAs raises $11.5K

St. Louis-based firm Anders CPAs + Advisors held its 33rd annual Hoops for Hope tournament, which saw 681 of the firm's colleagues, clients and friends support the 2021 Anders Charity of Choice, The Child Center.

Hoops for Hope is Anders' annual NCAA March Madness bracket tournament, featuring participants from all over the country. Anders tax partner Craig Campbell started the pool and remains its organizer.

Heather Kemper, director of development at The Child Center, joined Anders for a luncheon where she was presented a check for $11,500. “With the pandemic especially, it’s amazing the amount of support people give when they have one common mission,” said Kemper, per a statement.

The top 29 participants this year received prizes ranging from Apple Watches to gift cards to local restaurants. The full list of winners is available on Anders' site here.

Jeff Badu, a 28-year-old Chicago CPA and founder of Badu Enterprises — which includes Badu Tax Services and Badu Investments — has announced his own nonprofit, The Badu Foundation, which aims to help underserved youth throughout the city by teaching the values of saving, budgeting and investing.

Badu, a Ghanain immigrant, started his own business at age 18 and left his job at Big Four firm PwC when he grew his own client base of around 100 friends and family members. He said the Badu Foundation was created in response to his fellow young people struggling to succeed financially in his adopted hometown.

“There is so much violence in Chicago because there is no economic abundance,” Badu said in a statement. “If you don’t have the resources to create abundance, then life is likely going to be tough. I’m watching so many people struggle, and America is filled with infinite resources. I want Chicago’s youth to think more abundantly.”

Badu aims to raise $100,000 through his foundation, which will in turn fund scholarships for young people ages 6-18, with $500 annual scholarships awarded to each recipient. The foundation will also fund the teaching of financial literacy to Chicago youth.

“We can help children avoid poverty,” Badu said in a statement. “We’ll be teaching budgeting, saving and investing. This won’t only be the start of the journey. We’ll teach them how to fish and how to eat it, too.”

More information on the initiative can be found on the foundation's site here.

Twenty-four Indiana CPA Society volunteers participated in Spring 2021 CPA Week, which hosted 30 virtual high school presentations during the first week of May, spanning nine Indiana cities, 11 high schools and approximately 450 high school students.

Society members shared their own personal career stories with students, as well as the wide range of professional opportunities available for those with CPA licenses.

"CPAs have always been vital to the success of their clients or organization," said INCPAS director of diversity and outreach Ali Paul in a statement. "But over the past year in particular, their value as trusted business advisors was underscored. These presentations are a great way for students to learn that the role of a CPA is constantly growing to meet rapidly changing business needs."

"The Indiana CPA Society's CPA Week has truly brought the accounting profession to life for my students," said Leslie Kotyuk, business education and AVID instructor at North Central High School, in a statement. "The opportunity to hear from authentic professionals in their field is so valuable. The virtual classroom visits allowed the class to see beyond the textbook and visualize their future."

Local schools interested in participating in the Fall 2021 CPA Week, to be held Nov. 8-12, can find more information on INCPAS's site here.