Dollar Scholars @ Alexandria Public Library

Cover photo by Mdy66 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

In January 2026, Dollar Scholars held a series of 3 classes in the community meeting room at the Charles E. Beatley Alexandria Public Library. We recruited members of the public through outreach in-person and over social media. The classes were held on January 3rd, January 21st, and January 28th. This particular session of Dollar Scholars classes was held in Spanish, though we hold Dollar Scholars lessons in different languages when possible.

Class 1 covered basic income and expenses, how to track them and what they look like. Class 2 covered how to use credit, though we had some discussion on how to check and manage credit scores. The curriculum for class 3 was intended to be banking and mobile banking applications, however a snowy day prompted Dollar Scholars and the Library staff to close the library early for the safety of the employees and the Dollar Scholars students.

We had 2 attendees thanks to our outreach efforts. Adult immigrant populations can be difficult to reach, so we will be persistent and patient regardless of the turnout at any one event. Despite the low turnout, our students had a good time. The gentleman who attended brought his daughter as well, after school.

We learned a few lessons as well, in particular we built confidence to teach classes in Spanish as well as in English. We did not have any way to keep in contact with our beneficiaries. Now we have a newsletter mailing list, and a totally revamped website where individuals can find out about upcoming classes. We also learned individuals may be coming from work and their kids may come with them. This was not something we had originally thought about accommodating since Dollar Scholars is mainly targeted at adult learners. That said, it is important that we adjust our approach after learning this.

The gentleman who attended was very grateful for the opportunity to learn and enhance his financial knowledge. He told us he had never received any educaton in financial topics in his life. This type of engagement is exactly the objective of Dollar Scholars. To deliver even small amounts of knowledge about financial topics to adults who may never have otherwise had the opportunity.

Despite the low turnout, it was a heartwarming and motivating experience. Special thanks to to our participant, who showed up, engaged genuinely with the material, and demonstrated a true desire to learn. Thank you to my dad, Martin Dickinson, and my wife Leslie Dickinson who taught with me.