UTM Partners with Crosswinds Church to Launch Hustle City

April 1, 2019 /  Joel Shaffer  /  Make A Comment  /  Blog, Uncategorized

“I love Hustle City because it has opened my mind up to many avenues within business. It’s teaching me how to take a Hustle that I love and am interested in and turning it into a legitimate business that I can profit from. It’s also teaching me about the importance of budgeting and allocating funds in order to be able to save. Since joining Hustle City I have opened a secondary bank account with LMCU and have deposited a bunch of money into a savings account that I plan to add to. I am also more aware of my spending habits and looked into how much money I waste on useless items. My spending has gone down and I think a little harder now when I spend money and am now better with saving. I am also excited about all the opportunities Hustle City provides including a Goal-Oriented Savings Account and their ability match funds for us to be able to startup the business we want. I was also able to shadow Dave-O and see first hand how his online business works. He is very successful and happy with how it’s going and my goal is to get to that point as well. With everything I learned, I have also recently started an online business of my own and I am hopeful to be able to run it successfully enough to do it full time and end a dead end job.”
— Salia Kellah, Hustle City participant

This past fall Crosswinds Church and UTM partnered to launch a new ministry called “Hustle City.” The Purpose of Hustle City is to disciple men and women in the urban context through financial and entrepreneurial training. In the urban context, while unemployment has fallen, at the same time underemployment is ruling the day. Many people in our neighborhoods are working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. Combined with housing costs that take up to three-quarters of an urban dweller’s income, we recognize that there is a serious problem. At the same time, we also recognize an opportunity. So many of our neighbors are incredibly creative and gifted. The goal of Hustle City is to partner with participants to help them develop and maximize these gifts in a way that will not only lead to stability but also lead to the kind of life that allows them to be a blessing to others and their community.

Hustle City aims to train people in two areas:

1. In entrepreneurial skills: So they can start businesses and make money.

2. In financial competency: So that they can build and maintain wealth.

We do this through various entrepreneurial exercises, guest speakers, financial management curriculum, and just recently we have partnered with Choice One Bank to offer a Goal-Oriented Savings Account for those in the program. Goal-Oriented Savings Accounts are a joint account between the participant and UTM that can be used only for long-term assets such as college/trade school, to buy a house or to start/expand a business. These accounts encourage savings by matching each dollar the participant deposits at a 2 to 1 ratio. A participant can save up to $2,400 dollars and it will be matched so that they will have $7,200. They cannot withdraw any of the money until they have saved the entire amount. This all due to the generosity of donors and Choice One. This is a big deal because learning to save is one of the biggest elements of the program. We often say in class “it would be of no value to make a lot of money and then spend it all on new shoes.”We are trying to build young men and women who will impact the world, beginning with themselves, their families and community for Jesus, and learning to hustle in a positive way is step one.

Furthermore, Hustle City is a key component for those in the ManUP program. Hustle City functions as the financial management and entrepreneurship classes that each ManUP resident is required to complete in order to graduate from the ManUP program. ManUp graduates are given the opportunity to utilize Goal-Oriented Savings Accounts with Hustle City as well.

If you are interested in becoming a financial coach with Hustle City, please contact Joel Shaffer at 616-206-8666 or e-mail him at utmgr1@gmail.com. Also, we are looking for additional donors and donations for each Goal-Oriented Savings Account to match what the Hustle City Participants and Choice One are contributing. If you are interested in specifically investing in the life of a hard-working young man or woman that we are discipling through Hustle City, please designate your gift with a note indicating the Hustle City Program! (post written by Rev. David Drake, lead pastor of Crosswinds Church http://www.windschurch.net and UTM board member)