COAST CITIES — As part of its ongoing commitment to cultural diversity and responsible banking, and in celebration of Women’s History Month, Union Bank has partnered with KPBS to honor three extraordinary San Diegans for the 2013 Local Heroes program.The 2013 Women History Month honorees are: Candace Bahr, Ginita Wall and Amina Sheik Mohamed. Bahr and Wall are the co-founders of the Women’s Institute for Financial Education (WIFE.org) a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to providing financial education to women in their quest for financial independence.
Aside from their work with WIFE.org, Bahr and Wall are also professional wealth managers. More than 8,000 people have attended the Second Saturday Divorce Workshop, which provides information from attorneys, mediators and counselors and has been replicated in 42 communities nationwide. WIFE.org was recently named one of the top 500 financial sites by “Online Investor,” capturing the interest of women and those seeking financial advice and information for women.
Mohamed was born and raised in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee. She is a regional manager for the Network for a Healthy California, an African American campaign in the San Diego and Imperial Counties. She also works with the UC San Diego Division of Child Development and Community Health and volunteers for the United Women of East Africa Support Team (UWEAST), an organization with 300 plus East-African Women members. Her passion extends beyond Southern California — while visiting Ethiopia and Somaliland, she presented a workshop to women living in poverty to help promote hope for living a healthier life.
Throughout the respective commemorative heritage months, KPBS will air video profiles of the winners, highlighting how they made a difference in their community. For more information on the Local Heroes program, also visit Union Bank Local Heroes.
