Talk! with Audrey

Ask any parent some of the things they do to keep their children safe and you're likely to hear car seats, helmets and knee pads for bicycle riding. But when it comes to the Internet, parents often don't know where to start in order to protect their children online. Crystal Pichon, Children's Safety Expert and CEO of The Safety Place talks with me about the importance of internet safety for children, especially during the back-to-school season.

Due to COVID-19, the need for lung transplantation is growing. Approximately 20-30 percent of patients who get COVID-19 can result in some form of lung damage. Lung transplantation is the last resort for patients with end-stage lung disease. However, there is currently a global shortage of donated lungs which sadly results in deaths among patients on the waitlist. And . . . many donated lungs are deemed unsuitable for transplantation and go un-utilized. Dr. Kalvin Lung - Thoracic Surgeon at Northwestern Medicine with information about a new device to help rescue potentially viable lungs, and those initially deemed "unacceptable" for transplant.

Alongside grammar and world history, another important subject to teach our kids is financial literacy. From budgeting and saving paychecks from a summer job to responsibly using a credit card, finances should be part of the curriculum starting at a young age through young adulthood. Erin McCullen, Head of Deposit Products at Bank of America has tips for parents to help their kids develop financial skills to set them up for post-grad financial independence.

As a result of the pandemic, 86% of Hispanic small business owners reported significant negative impacts, including complete closure, and were only half as likely as their white counterparts to receive PPP loans. Esperanza Teasdale, VP and GM of Hispanic Business at PepsiCo will be joined by Lupillo Ramirez, President of the Latino Food Industry Association join me information about Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow).Their partnership to raise awareness about Juntos Crecemos, which will invest more than $50 Million in strengthening Hispanic owned businesses.

Despite the economic uncertainty over the past year due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the average U.S. FICO® Score currently stands at 716. Joanne Gaskin, Vice President of Scores and Analytics, for FICO joins me with the latest credit score data released by FICO, what impact COVID-19 had on credit scores and FICO's commitment to financial education, inclusion and ability to score more people.

Studies have shown that students who have health insurance, and access essential medical care, are less likely to miss class than their peers without coverage and are more likely to complete high school and graduate college. And unfortunately, there are still many who don't have health insurance. Joining me with information about how uninsured eligible children and teens up to age 19 in families with limited incomes can get health coverage through Medicaid and CHIP, Dr. LaShawn McIver, Director of the Office of Minority Health, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Since 2014, 30 vehicles have been added to the National Historic Vehicle Register, a program created in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior and Library of Congress to celebrate and catalog the world's most significant automobiles. Joining me live from the National Mall in Washington D.C. Diane Parker, VP, Hagerty Drivers Foundation and Jonathan Klinger, Executive Director of the Hagerty Drivers Foundation to talk about the cool and important cars that will be shown during "Cars at the Capital" this September.

A recent UNCF survey of more than 5,000 students across 17 HBCUs found that many are dealing with difficulties such as sick family members, trouble paying bills and general stress from the ongoing pandemic and recent protests against police brutality. Support is needed now more than ever as students and institutions are faced with challenges including COVID-19 and racial disparities. Maurice E. Jenkins, Jr., executive vice president for field development of UNCF has the details of the UNCF National Virtual Walk for Education® aims to raise funds to support HBCUs and the students they serve.

From ancient to modern times, battles, war campaigns, bureaucratic decision making and the psychological makeup of the main players is explored by author Jared Knott in his Amazon Best-seller 'Tiny Blunders, Big Disasters 39 Tiny Mistakes That Changed the World Forever.

The economic disruption of COVID-19 has challenged small business owners and entrepreneurs to adopt fresh approaches to become more competitive in the post-pandemic marketplace. This is especially true for minority-owned and women businesses in underserved communities. To address this issue, Maggie Ference, Senior Vice President, BB Credit & Ops Director, Huntington National Bank joins me to offer tips to help empower your small business and community.