Tusky Valley grad creates financial help program for PBS
Jamie Strayer, a Tusky Valley graduate and former Bolivar resident, is the creator and producer of the PBS show, "Opportunity Knock$." The series pairs families with financial experts who help them overcome money problems and the often associated shame that goes with them.
Jamie Graef Strayer, a 1993 graduate of Tusky Valley High School and former Bolivar resident, is the creator and producer of a new PBS show called “Opportunity Knock$.”
The not-for-profit series pairs six families with renowned financial experts who help them to overcome both their money problems and move forward with a new sense of purpose.
“The show was designed not to give financial advice because people don’t need lectured at,” Strayer said. “They need financial solutions that show them how to keep more of their own money or how to make more money.”
Strayer pointed to statistics from United Way indicating 42% of American households are living on survival budgets, which she described as including the bare necessities like housing, clothing, food, utilities and transportation. One small setback can trigger a mountain of challenges.
Strayer finds most financial programs on television to be out of touch with today’s families. “If people are having trouble making ends meet, don’t tell them they need to learn how to budget. They’re already the best budgeters — putting food on their table and gas in the tank. We need to direct people to resources in their own communities and show them how to use them.”
How the cast was chosen
“We focused on America’s heroes,” Strayer said. “We intentionally chose school teachers, bus drivers, a social worker, a preacher — good people who are struggling in silence.”
One of the people chosen also is a Tusky Valley graduate, James Emley, along with his wife Fiona. Strayer said she suggested the Emleys apply to be on the program but removed herself from the selection process when it came to them. Part two of this story will cover the Emleys’ struggles and successes next week.
The “star” of the show
While the coaches on the show are celebrated financial experts, Strayer said the “Opportunity Finder” is the real star of the show. The search tool is broken down into categories like buy a house, find transportation and eliminate credit card debt, along with links to local resources.
“There’s even free legal aid and business mentorship,” Strayer said. “Viewers at home can also access and use it.”
Perhaps most importantly, users can locate Community Development Financial Institutions, which are often allied with local credit unions.
“These are miracle organizations that will say ‘yes’ when everyone else says ‘no,’” Strayer said. “They help people get out of subprime and payday loan traps and make first-time home ownership and business lending possible.”
Impact, not celebrity
Strayer said her goal has always been impact, not celebrity. “My mission in life is to help people who are struggling to move forward and have access to opportunities because everyone deserves access to opportunity. Unfortunately, it’s restricted to just a few. So we’re out to change that.”
Through her late mother Amie George’s work at what is now Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services, Strayer said she learned the importance of helping people to help themselves.
“I believe everybody’s trying to do their best, not their worst. If we think about our own experiences and struggles and we give other people that same grace, then new things are possible. That was the inspiration for the series, and I thought it was a way of making my mom’s spirit live on,” Strayer said.
Strayer expressed her hopes for viewers. “I would like people who are working hard to make ends meet, back home and everywhere, to watch the show and see that it’s possible to get ahead by keeping more of their own money and making more money. That’s what would be the most important to me.”
How to watch
“Opportunity Knock$” airs on one’s local PBS station Thursday nights and can be viewed through PBS Passport and online streaming at www.opportunityknocks.net, where previously aired shows also are available.
Part 2 of this story will appear in the Dec. 24 edition of The Bargain Hunter.