Led by financial guru Dave Ramsey, Town Hall for Hope hopes to bring thousands across the county together to hear Ramsey's straight talk message about the economy, the recession and foreclosures. He'll explain where the nation has come from, where it is now, and what we should be doing with our money during this time. Then Ramsey will spend an hour answering questions from the audience.
Mathers knows firsthand that taking personal responsibility is critical now, more than ever.
"I've been out of work 10 months and you know, we're surviving," Mathers said.
Long before he heard Ramsey's message, Mathers' family was careful with their spending.
"We make our house payment and pay all of our bills on time. We make sure that our family's basic needs are met. We might not eat out a lot right now, but it's nice to know that we don't have any debt. We've been living within our wage," Mathers said.
Ramsey, whose mantra is ‘live your wage', is a personal money-management expert, national radio personality and best-selling author of The Total Money Makeover and Financial Pease. In his latest book, More Than Enough, Ramsey exemplifies his life's work of teaching others how to be financially responsible so they can acquire enough wealth to take care of loved ones, live prosperously into old age, and give generously to others.
"If you're trying to get rich quick, then this isn't the program for you. Dave's program is more like a crockpot. Getting everything running smoothly takes time," said Mathers.
More than 5,000 venues across the nation are scheduled to broadcast the event. In Rockdale County, six churches-Conyers First United Methodist, CrossPoint Christian, Discover Point, Ebenezer United Methodist, Heritage Hills Baptist and Rockdale Baptist-have signed on to host the event.
While registration is not required, churches are encouraging everyone to visit the website at www.townhallforhope.com. Organizers are asking those planning to attend to click on ‘attend' so that the facilities can seat enough people.