Checks Over Strikes is a community-based initiative set out to change the narrative of financial literacy amongst members of marginalized communities. 

Dean Chambers grew up in Jane and Finch; where the future for the youths is bleak and the life expectancy of Black males is short. Dean needed to be educated if he wanted to make it out of the “hood". He didn’t want to be a statistic and had goals that he wanted to accomplish. On one life-changing day, Dean received a call that his department had been downsized and was told that he would no longer have a job. Dean was down...but not out. Being disciplined with money from a young age would be what saved him. Dean also had a second stream of income, but he was not going to rely on that. He brainstormed about all of the things he was good at and other ways he could generate income. Dean went back to an old venture and brought it to life and opened his own car dealership. Easy? Hell No! Worth it? Of course! Now entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, but it is what worked for him. Whether you work for yourself or work for a company, you too can attain financial literacy and freedom. Dean started where someone might be today. He is living proof that your beginning doesn’t have to be your end.

Craig Brown grew up in marginalized areas that didn’t have the resources to teach financial literacy. His parents' philosophy was to go to school, get good grades, and find a job that you can eventually get a pension from. Craig worked in corporate for 16 years and was tired of building someone else’s dream while his dreams were left on the back burner. So he resigned!!! He mentored 7 young ladies who wanted to invest in a condo, partnered with a close friend who is now his business partner to create Checks Over Strikes, and co-wrote Don’t Be A Waste Yute: The Financial Literacy Guide, as well as he created an online automated course!!!