START Now! is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization designed to help individuals and families become self sufficient by educating them and providing them with the support and opportunities available in society and allowing them to become thriving members of the community. Founded by Financial Services Executive Chris Meek

Chris Meek

Christopher Douglas Meek is a philanthropist and American businessman. Meek is a Financial Services Executive and is the founder and Chairman of START Now! and Soldiersocks. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the and Career Resources...

, START Now! holds events, trainings, and workshops to help facilitate the building of a skill set to be successful.

History

In April 2009, founder Chris Meek held his first in a series of loan modification events at the Yerwood Center. in Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...

. The event consisted of five banks and several agencies offering foreclosure assistance. The program enabled 36 families to modify their mortgage, avoid going into foreclosure and losing their homes. The success and public request for more programs led Meek to create the not-for-profit START Now! in May 2009.
Subsequent loan modification events were held in May 2009, again at the Yerwood Center, August 2009 at the Connecticut State Capitol

Connecticut State Capitol

The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the office of the...

April 2010 at FSW, Inc. in Bridgeport, CT
October 2010 at the Yerwood Center
November 2010 at Western Connecticut State University

Western Connecticut State University

Western Connecticut State University is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work...

 in Danbury, Connecticut

Danbury, Connecticut

Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....

 with several additional events since.

The program has grown to include major banks such as HSBC

HSBC

HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...

, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America

Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...

, and CitiMortgage (Citigroup

Citigroup

Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...

). Regional banks such as Webster

Webster

-People:As a surname:*Augusta Webster , English poet, dramatist, essayist, and translator.*Daniel Webster , American statesman, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and U.S...

, People's United Bank

People's United Bank

People's United Bank, a diversified financial services company with over $22 billion in assets, provides consumer and commercial banking services through a network of subsidiary banks with approximately 300 branches in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and New York...

 and NewAlliance Bank

NewAlliance Bank

NewAlliance Bancshares , doing business as NewAlliance Bank, was the second largest Connecticut-based savings bank. It was formed in 2004 through the union of The Savings Bank of Manchester, New Haven Savings Bank, and Tolland Bank....

 and agencies like the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority., Urban League of Southwestern Connecticut., Money Management International

Money Management International

Money Management International is a Houston-based credit counseling agency offering services in 23 US states and the District of Columbia, as well as nationally via a toll-free hotline...

., Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...

, the Housing Development Fund., Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut., and Mediation Specialists from the Fairfield Judicial District have all participated.

START Now! also holds job readiness workshops helping participants prepare resumes and cover letters, learn how to apply for jobs online and hone their interviewing skills through videotaping mock interviews. The organization also hosted a Green Jobs Fair in conjunction with Norwalk Community College

Norwalk Community College

Norwalk Community College , formerly known as Norwalk State Technical College and Norwalk Community-Technical College, is a public community college in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is the second-largest of the twelve colleges in the Connecticut Community Colleges.The school, which has an open...

. To date, the program has shown both success and growth, having helped over 250 people and banks avoid foreclosure.

Partnerships

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States. It is located at 33 Liberty Street, New York, NY. It is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses New York state, the 12 northern counties of New Jersey,...

Bank of America

Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...

Chase

Chase

-Corporations:* JPMorgan Chase, a financial services firm** Chase , usually styled as "CHASE", the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase-Music:* Chase * Chase * "Chase"...

HSBC

HSBC

HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...

Money Management International

Money Management International

Money Management International is a Houston-based credit counseling agency offering services in 23 US states and the District of Columbia, as well as nationally via a toll-free hotline...

NewAlliance Bank

NewAlliance Bank

NewAlliance Bancshares , doing business as NewAlliance Bank, was the second largest Connecticut-based savings bank. It was formed in 2004 through the union of The Savings Bank of Manchester, New Haven Savings Bank, and Tolland Bank....

People's United Bank

People's United Bank

People's United Bank, a diversified financial services company with over $22 billion in assets, provides consumer and commercial banking services through a network of subsidiary banks with approximately 300 branches in Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and New York...

Webster Bank

Webster Bank

Webster Bank is a commercial bank based in Waterbury, Connecticut.- History :Webster was founded in 1935 by Harold Webster Smith. Only 24 years old, Smith borrowed from family and friends to found First Federal Savings of Waterbury, a lending institution providing home loans to Connecticut citizens...

St. Luke’s LifeWorks.

Yerwood Center.

Career Resources.

Southwestern CT Works.

The Workplace Inc.