What People are Saying About CARE
If you would like to contribute a testimonial or quote to this page, please send it to us at careprogram@nywb.uscourts.gov.
Judges
Usually, judges only get involved with social problems after the problems have turned into disasters. One of the many wonderful aspects of the innovative program developed by Judge Ninfo is that it allows judges to become part of the solution by helping young persons learn to manage debt before they are in over their heads. That’s why we are enthusiastically attempting to implement the program throughout the Second Circuit.
Jed S. Rakoff
U.S. District Judge
Southern District of New York
Chairperson - Second Circuit Bankruptcy Committee
Member - Judicial Conference of the United States,
Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System
Judge John Ninfo’s C.A.R.E. Program hits the nail on the head! Instead of waiting until the financial damage has been done - he attacks the cause of credit card abuse. He focuses on today’s young people and through the use of testimonials and a college student produced film, he effectively delivers his message of avoiding unnecessary (“Needs v. Wants”) credit card debt and its damaging consequences.
John J. Hargrove
Chief Judge
U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Southern District of California
Participating Attorneys
We are excited to announce that attorneys of the Hartford County Bar Association and the New Haven County Bar Association are working together with Chief Bankruptcy Judge Albert S. Dabrowski, and with the support of U.S. District of Connecticut Bankruptcy Judges Krechevsky, Shiff and Weil, to sponsor, develop and present a credit education program for Connecticut high school students that will be modeled after the C.A.R.E. Program. We have been encouraged by our initial contacts with education leaders in our communities. All agree that there is a great need for this type of education program for young people in Connecticut before they leave home for college or enter the work force. We are on our way to having a pilot program in place which will form the basis of what we hope can become a statewide public service initiative of the bench and bar working together.
Your wonderful C.A.R.E. program track record, course materials and web site have made our task so much easier. We are extremely grateful for your bold and enthusiastic leadership. Thank you. We look forward to following in your footsteps.
Alan Robert Baker, Co-Chair
James J. Tancredi, Co-Chair
Commercial Law Committee
Hartford County Bar Association
Attorney Douglas S. Skalka, Chairman
Attorney Carol Felicetta, Member
Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Committee
New Haven County Bar Association
The fact that there has been a 96% increase in bankruptcy filings in the age group 25 years or less during the past 10 years demonstrates that there is a tremendous and immediate need to improve the financial literacy of students. I believe that providing students with credit abuse resistance education is the most valuable contribution that Bankruptcy Judges, Court and Clerk’s Office staff, and attorneys can offer to the parents and students in their communities. Each time that I make a CARE presentation, I am left with a tremendous sense of satisfaction because I know that I have made a positive, personal, and meaningful impact on the students, and I would encourage anyone working in the Bankruptcy System to participate in a CARE Program in your community. Take the time to CARE. You will be glad that you did.
Paul R. Warren, Esq.
Clerk of Court
U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Western District of New York
Administrators
College
The CARE Program's presentation is long PAST DUE! College students both want and need this information the day they step on campus. The information is presented in the schools in a candid and interactive forum which allows for students to feel comfortable asking questions and discussing their personal credit information.
Dan Raimondo, Phd.
Director of Campus Life
SUNY Brockport
Educators
College
Dr. Manning lauds the CARE program and explains, “Judge Ninfo and his colleagues are providing a crucially important service in their campaign to actively combat the spiraling problem of consumer debt. This mounting societal crisis requires a comprehensive financial literacy and education program that promotes personal responsibility and behavioral change – an educational initiative that is noticeably absent at both state and national levels. By introducing the CARE program in local high schools and colleges, it offers a practical roadmap for unwary students who too quickly succumb to the temptations of easy credit during their more formative years. By discussing the “real world” consequences of consumer debt and offering guidance for developing personal finance skills, Judge Ninfo and the CARE program can and will effect behavioral change when it is most important – before young people confront the possibility of filing for personal bankruptcy.”
Dr. Robert D. Manning
Caroline Werner Gannett
Professor of the Humanities
Rochester Institute of Technology
Author - Credit Card Nation and Give Yourself Credit
I estimate that between 7 and 10 percent of college students will drop out of school because of credit problems. By introducing the CARE Program in local high schools and colleges, it offers a practical roadmap for unwary students who too quickly succumb to the temptations of easy credit during their most formative years.
Dr. Robert D. Manning, Professor of the Humanities at RIT
It seems to me that America has grown and continues to grow into an “Instant Gratification Society”. “I want what I want when I want it.” We have heard this saying over and over in the substance abuse community. It applies to many other areas in peoples lives, gambling, food, shopping and the latest craze, consumer debt or compulsive spending! There are people spending monies they do not have, “just put it on the credit card.” They use their credit cards like, “it’s their job!” Does the average person realize the ramifications of this spending? My perception is No! People sometimes like to make themselves feel better, so they buy things, things they cannot afford. They acquire debt, large amounts of debt. In the end the debt causes stress and anxiety, so much for feeling better.
This is a vicious cycle that results in more spending to feel better. It sounds like an addiction, for many it is, for others its abuse of their credit. We need to share the word to all, especially to the younger generation. The C.A.R.E. Program is a way to accomplish it.
Judge Ninfo spoke to 150 students at Monroe Community about the C.A.R.E. Program on November 4, 2003. This is an important message that has ramifications for everyone, not just students.
James McKenna
Health & Physical Education Department
Monroe Community College
Rochester, N.Y.
High School
Thank you for bringing the C.A.R.E. program to the Mercy High School senior class. This information is critical to helping students make good choices so they can have a successful future. Your message and delivery really hit home with the students. In fact one student called and canceled two of her credit cards within the hour following your presentation!
We appreciate you taking time from you busy schedule to be with us. You are making a difference!
Cheryl D. Lohrman
Business Teacher
Our Lady of Mercy High School
Rochester, New York
To Paul Warren, a CARE Presenter
The honorable Judge Ninfo recently came out to speak to the New Visions students at SUNY Brockport about the issues of credit card debt and it was very well received by the students. These students are seniors in high schools in western Monroe County and are participating in a special program designed to assist them in career exploration in various fields and to prepare them for college. They are the prime targets of the credit card companies who hope to get them into debt sooner than later. The majority of these students have not really thought about the world of credit debt yet and therefore, are easy targets for the credit card companies.
What the C.A.R.E. Program offers is way for the students to be educated about the pitfalls and potential financial difficulties that could strap these students for life. It is arguably the most important information students at this stage in life need to prepare them for life. Afterall, if the students are not armed with this information now, then the credit card companies are gladfully willing to take them under their wings.
Todd Pschierer
New Visions Coordinating Teacher-Health Professions
Monroe/Orleans 2 Boces
Students
I recently saw a report on your program on Tampa Bay News Channel 8. As a former college student who found myself in $10,000 in debt I think that your program is phenomenal. I wish that I had been exposed to the traps of credit cards before having to learn the hard way. Unfortunately this debt caused me to drop out of school and almost 5 years later I am just barely returning to school. I am glad to see that you have also formed a group that involves Fraternities & Sororities. As a member of a sorority myself I know what a great forum that provides for information on topics such as this. I was also surprised to see after viewing your website that you have visited my old campus.
I really just wanted to send an email letting you know what a wonderful organization you have created. These are the fundamentals that our high school and college students need to learn!!! Great job!
Sincerely,
Felina
"I believe what Judge Ninfo is doing is a great thing and that he is genuinely concerned with the futures of the students he meets."
Loren Peterson
11th grade business student at Hornell High School (New York)
"I think Judge Ninfo really opened up everybody's eyes to the reality of credit. It seems like what we thought we knew about credit going into the presentation was all misleading information that we just got from ads and the Internet. I think he influenced everyone's future decisions about credit."
Allison Crowley
12th grade student at Hornell High School (New York)
"I wish I had access to the information when I was in high school. After the presentation, I paid off two credit cards and cancelled three others. Now if I don't have money to pay cash for an item, I don't buy it."
Shelly Palmer
Monroe Community College
After a CARE Program presentation, students at Nazareth College of Rochester were asked to provide their Freshman Seminar Professor, Michael McGwin, Associate Director of Admissions, with a journal entry as to how they would get through four years of college without going broke. Some of the excerpts from their entries include:
- Not eating out too much, and using the dining hall more often
- Not partying too much
- Working on campus and at home on breaks
- Keeping grades up so I can maintain scholarships
- Take advantage of school sponsored entertainment
- Plan ahead for future expenses
- Buying used books instead of new
Public
Teaching young people how to manage their personal finances is critical to the development of money management skills that will enable them to succeed in adult life. I commend Judge Ninfo for his leadership in volunteering to help young people learn these essential skills – an important step toward reducing future consumer bankruptcies. Our Assistant U.S. Trustee in Rochester, Kathleen Schmitt, participates in the CARE Program by speaking with young people about bankruptcy and personal money management. It’s clear from Kathy that these presentations are eye-openers for many of her young listeners, and for some of their parents and teachers as well.
Lawrence A. Friedman, Director
United States Department of Justice
Executive Office for United States Trustees
I have been in the lending business since 1986 and it still amazes me how uninformed people are with respect to how damaging credit card debt can be financially, physically and mentally. You are probably in agreement with financially but asking yourself physically, mentally? Yes. Unfortunately, I have encountered people that have so much debt; the stress of that debt has negatively impacted their health to the point of heart attacks and other physical ailments. Others have become diagnosed with clinical depression, been involved in felonious crimes, and many relationships have ended up in divorce. For what? To buy “stuff” that people can’t afford and probably will forget about within a short time after they buy it.
In my humble opinion, people fall into this trap because of a lack of financial literacy and education. Schools are great at teaching many topics, but what about the basics needed to survive in our society such as the differences between wants and needs. (Yes, there is a difference) Judge Ninfo’s program cuts to the chase and is aimed at trying to educate people on the perils and pitfalls of credit card debt before they end up in his bankruptcy court.
Judge Ninfo is kind enough to speak at several financing courses that I teach and after each class, countless people come up to me and tell me that they wished he spoke to them earlier in their lives and are overjoyed that he has developed the C.A.R.E. program and he and the bankruptcy attorneys in the program are taking the time out of their busy schedules to speak with younger people.
I wholeheartedly endorse the C.A.R.E. program and encourage people to “get the word out” that such a program exists. I guarantee people will think twice before charging something on their credit card that they can’t fully pay off when the bill arrives. Perhaps then, people will get the message and the average American’s credit card debt of $8,400 will decrease. Thank you Judge Ninfo for the C.A.R.E. program.
Jay W. Gelb, CMB
Vice President
Rochester Home Equity, Inc.
Rochester, N.Y.
The Investor Education Program in Indiana has been running for just over a year now, and we are constantly looking for positive avenues to get important financial literacy and fraud avoidance messages into public awareness. While I have run across several good programs that target grade school and middle school ages, I had yet to see a program that focused on high school (aside from the typical semester of economics that they take); so, I was really excited to come across this program. Since economics programs typically try to cover everything, the issue of the consequences of debt hardly gets enough attention, and it is being marketed so frequently now to younger generations that it is really a must to equip them with the proper knowledge to use credit wisely. It’s great to find a program that focuses on just that. The information on your web site is fantastic, and I will definitely be sharing it with others!
Stephanie L. Beck
Investor Education Coordinator
Office of the Indiana Secretary of State