Gen Yers like working for companies that participate in their community. That's one of the themes you'll see on Accounting Tomorrow. So when we see firms that tout community involvement, we like to give them props.Atlanta-based HLB Gross Collins, P.C., a full-service certified public accounting and consulting firm, recently participated in Operation Hope, during which staff from the firm lent their expertise to Lindley Middle School students, helping them understand the value of financial self-sufficiency and self-empowerment. 
Operation Hope volunteers.Operation HOPE is a global nonprofit and social investment organization that provides financial literacy training, counseling, lending services and inspiration to the economically disadvantaged. The HLB Gross Collins team provided volunteers for financial literacy to youth at Lindley Middle School in Cobb County through the organization's "Banking on the Future" program, which helps educate students about economics in the areas of credit, investment and home ownership.
These volunteers spent an hour each week for one month in the same Lindley class developing relationships with the students and teachers. They began with the basics, which included a description of developing and balancing a checking account, and later led discussions about investments.
"We were very excited to have an opportunity to share our understanding of financial concepts and tools to promote the smarter use of money in our country," said HLB Gross Collins Marketing Director Lane Bassham. "The Lindley students were eager to learn and grasp the financial skills they will need to use money wisely in their lives."
