“Indianapolis is well positioned to lead Black America in the dfree® movement,” says dfree® founder DeForest B. Soaries, Jr.. The city has a rich legacy of black economic enterprise; its residents have a strong sensibility for black economic progress. We have six churches of various size practicing the principles of dfree® in Indianapolis, and we are expecting this number to grow exponentially.”
“There are some things we can do apart, but there are some things we have to do together,” said Pastor Darryl Webster of Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church during Friday night’s opening remarks. “We came together here in Indianapolis to help people achieve financial freedom.”
“People across the nation are benefiting from the dfree® belief that if we manage our lives well then we will use money strategically to reach our life goals,” said dfree® Founder DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. “We’re not teaching money management. This is a journey. It is a process and it begins by the way we think about ourselves, the way we think about our money and the way we plan for our future.”
As demonstrated by the opening concert with Fred Hammond, the journey also begins – strategically – with praise and worship. “We don’t believe we can accomplish anything without worship. Worship is a spiritual requirement,” said Soaries.
“Economic empowerment changed my life,” said Hammond, who encouraged people to stop relying upon credit and to teach their kids about managing money when they are young.”
dfree® LIVE Midwest featured internationally renowned speakers including New York Times Bestselling Author, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, life coach and founder of Girlfriends Pray, Dee Marshall; co-founder of Miss Jessie’s Miko Branch and more. Prudential, the presenting sponsor of the conference, also hosted workshops.
dfree® recently held training sessions for churches and organizations in Detroit and Milwaukee, while upcoming dfree® conferences are being planned for Atlanta and New Jersey. “I am focusing the rest of my life on financial freedom,” says Dr. Soaries. “We know how to do a lot of things…we know how to protest, we know how to advance politically, we know how to build churches. We have mastered the art of many things – but we have not mastered the art and ability to convince our people to own, save, invest, and stop paying predatory fees. We want to be as strategic and passionate about our financial freedom as we are about our human rights and our civil rights.” Go to www.mydfree®.org for more information.