Dear Apollo Family,
Our firm has been working on several community-focused projects, and we wanted to share a little insight into how Apollo has been giving back this season. Below are summaries of a few initiatives we’ve been involved in over the past few months.
We hope this brings a smile to your face.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Here to love,
The Apollo Team
Coaching College Students
On Friday night, September 5th, a local nonprofit invited Siro, our Chief Tax Strategist, to speak and invest in their college student interns. The organization gathered about 25 students and mentors, provided pizza and drinks, and created a space for students to ask real-world questions.
And they had questions—everything from student loans, to using credit cards wisely, to launching their own businesses. In fact, the conversation went so long and was so lively that Siro and the students eventually got kicked out of the classroom and finished their discussions in the parking lot!
“It was wonderful to share time and expertise. Our clients, team, and community all need us,” Siro shared.
Middle Schoolers Investing!
In early October, Apollo organized a three-day financial literacy workshop for a group of 7th and 8th grade AVID students to help educate and empower the next generation.
The workshop was designed as a real-life role-playing “Game of Life,” where students took on adult responsibilities such as earning salaries, paying taxes, and managing bills. Each student received a profession—teacher, engineer, doctor, and more—and then moved through stations to pay expenses, invest in stocks or rental properties, shop at the store, or save their money.
After 4-6 rounds, we cashed out every stock or property students purchased at double what they paid. The goal? Finish with the highest net worth. On the final day, students even got to keep the money they earned in the game!
Special thank you to Ashley, Siro, Diego, Elizabeth, Linda, Brad, and Elliana on our team for bringing their incredible energy and making this workshop possible for over 110 students.
If you were curious to see how this looked like in action, below is last year’s short on YouTube!
2025 Apollo’s 2nd Annual Turkey Trot
This year, Apollo hosted our 2nd annual remote Turkey Trot for our employees. Together, we were able to donate 15 turkeys to families in need through CASA of Tulare County and Child Welfare Services.
Juan, our Staff Accountant, and Miralda, our Engagement Lead, came out on top and earned digital Turkey Badges—keep an eye out, you may spot them proudly displayed in their email signatures!
These donated turkeys helped ease financial burdens and allows families to gather and share a special moment together. Many expressed heartfelt appreciation for the support.
InvestQuest Game Night
On November 17th, Siro, our Chief Tax Strategist, volunteered with Neighborhood Degree, a non-for-profit in Visalia, to serve as Game Master for a group of high school students and their mentors as they played InvestQuest with the College Expansion Pack.
More than 50 participants had the chance to practice investing in themselves by going to college, building assets through stock and rental property purchases, and experiencing the flow of money. The top score of the night reached an impressive $272!
Some memorable comments from the evening were:
“Wait—if I focus on college and earn higher degrees, my income goes up.”
“My family pays rent every month… but I could own the house.”
From a mentor: “Are you taking new clients?”
And Siro’s favorite—when time was called, the entire room chimed in: “No, don’t stop us! I’m having fun, I need to buy another house!”
