How a football star, a ballet gala and a bank changed the future for disadvantaged youth

When football player Victor Cruz agreed to salsa dance at a gala, he had no idea of the wide-reaching impact of his fancy footwork. Here’s how a dance led to programs that have helped children and promoted financial education for thousands.

In late 2011, JPMorganChase, lead sponsor for the annual Ballet Hispanico gala, had a challenge: convincing people—many of whom might not be interested in Latin dance—to help support a cultural program and an underserved community. Ballet Hispanico is a New York City ballet company and school founded on the idea that everyone deserves dance. Through innovative dance productions and training, they bring Latino cultures together.

Lois Backon, then part of the Global Philanthropy team at JPMorganChase, flashed on Victor Cruz, the second-year wide receiver with the New York Giants. The Puerto Rican/African American Cruz was known for dancing salsa when he completed a touchdown, which made him an obvious choice for the gala. Besides that, he would draw in other attendees.

Backon tracked him down through the team. “I called and asked if he’d be willing to come to a Ballet Hispanico function to support the Ballet and the Latino Hispanic community," she recalls. "He came, and he was quite the star.”

Cruz didn’t know it, but that event would lead to a decade-long working relationship. “I went and had a fantastic time,” said Cruz. “Judy Dimon asked me to dance salsa with her on stage.”

And that’s how the wife of the head of JPMorganChase danced salsa with a New York Giants star. Needless to say, the athlete, originally from Paterson, N.J., was a huge hit at the event. And a lot of people attended.

Reaching Out to Underserved Communities

Cruz and Backon hit it off at the gala, and she learned he was writing a book, Out of the Blue, about his childhood, overcoming adversity, and becoming a successful NFL player. Working with the under-banked and underserved communities has always been a priority for JPMorganChase, and Backon, who now works in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing department, thought that Cruz would be an outstanding person to  help lead the bank's outreach to the community.

When his book came out in 2013, Cruz and the bank brought copies to a Paterson event, and JPMorganChase hosted a chat with him. Since then, the relationship—and outreach—have grown.

“JPMorganChase works to promote financial health, which isn't taught in schools," Backon says. "Victor’s been one of our champions in providing financial education since 2012.”

One of Chase's financial education initiatives was Kneading Dough: The Podcast, in which former NFL player Andrew Hawkins interviewed various sports superstars about how they handled their life-changing salaries and the financial lessons they learned along the way. In 2019, Cruz and his mother appeared on the show.

In 2023, Cruz continued the relationship, hosting Credit Talk, a six-episode podcast about Chase's Credit Journey app (now part of the Chase Mobile app), which allowed users to get their credit score and gives them tips for building good credit. When Backon told Cruz about the Credit Talk opportunity, he was all in.

"I didn’t grow up with a lot of money, and I needed to surround myself with people who knew what I needed to do with my finances and educate me on the process," Cruz says. "I knew there are young kids and young entrepreneurs out there who could use this information. I was really excited to be a part of that.”

He interviewed six athletes and celebrities about their careers, personal lives and financial journeys. Guests included BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester, actress and comedian Yvonne Orji, and Paralympian snowboarder Brenna Huckaby.

The feedback Cruz got on the show was incredible. “A number of people told me they didn’t know about the things we talked about, like saving money or 401(k)s. I even learned some things to try from it!”

The Hometown Advantage

When Cruz was invited to the ballet gala back in 2011, he was starting the Victor Cruz Foundation, which was aimed at getting underrepresented kids interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers by providing them additional educational and financial literacy programs. Cruz became interested in this after attending the 2012 White House Science Fair, where his eyes were opened to the importance of STEM programming.

The foundations work also extended to Cruz's hometown. An alumnus of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Paterson & Passaic New Jersey, he knew the importance of kids having a place to belong and learn outside of school. When he went back to visit the Club he grew up in, he saw that nothing had been updated since he was a kid.

The Cruz Foundation, with the help of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, worked to provide the club new laptops, a new media room, tables, chairs, repainted rooms, and a complete pool renovation, which is now named for him. “They turned it into something the kids would be proud to call home today,” Cruz says.

Working with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and JPMorganChase, Cruz's foundation created a DIY STEM program for the clubs. JPMorgan Chase provided technology specialists to help build a Sports in Science program. One of its lessons focused on the physics involved in Tom Brady’s Deflategate scandal.

Over 11 years, some of the kids who attended Cruz's programs have gone on to college, majored in STEM fields, and have now come home to volunteer with the same STEM programs they grew up in. “In order for us to affect a generation and affect the world, there has to be a cycle of people who go through the program, make it to college, and then come back and lend their hands to the younger generation," Cruz says. "When that cycle continues to happen, that’s when you have a real program and life cycle of change in the world.”

“Lois and the JPMorgan team have always stayed really close to all of our efforts. Whenever we’re thinking of doing something new, we chat with her or the appropriate JPMorgan team member to see if it makes sense to collaborate,” says Briana Thevenin, Director of the Victor Cruz Foundation.

Spreading STEM Beyond the Clubs

Wanting to expand the impact of his work with STEM, Cruz's foundation started working with Paterson Public Schools. Cruz and the foundation met with administrators at Paterson STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) High School, housed in Cruz’s former high school building, to find out what they needed.

One of the biggest gaps was financial literacy. Given Cruz's relationship with JPMorganChase and his financial literacy work in the past, the connection was immediate.

The foundation and school representatives met with community managers and wealth management advisors from J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, and shared what they were looking for. The bank created a curriculum that is run twice a year at the high school by their advisors and community managers. It’s now in its second year.

“It’s interesting to watch because the JPMorgan instructors are learning a lot about how this generation views finances and thinks about money," says Thenevin. "We were surprised last year when we learned one student was already contributing to their 401(k). We didn’t even know about 401(k)s as high school students!”

Through the Victor Cruz Foundation, Cruz has worked with 10 Boys and Girls Clubs of America in the Northeast. Through the high school program, he's brought financial literacy to over 200 students. Looking back, it's hard to believe that it all began with a dance!