2016

The $martPath online financial literacy platform is developed, thanks to a generous gift from Peter Alpaugh.

The online curriculum provides lessons designed to meet the state standards for financial literacy, math and social studies. The lessons are fun, interactive and grade-appropriate, and the $martPath platform also provides assessments teachers can use to track students’ progress. More than 33,000 teachers nationwide now use $martPath.

2017

The Center learns about Megan Piphus, a Cincinnati native (graduate of Princeton schools), with a bachelor’s degree in economics and master’s degree in finance from Vanderbilt University.

Piphus is also a talented ventriloquist and comedic actress who appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”, “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, and Fox’s “Showtime at the Apollo”. Heath and Piphus meet with the production team from WCET in Cincinnati to discuss developing a series of videos for children, using puppets and songs to teach fundamental economic concepts.

2018

The Center wins the Lighting The Way award from SunTrust Foundation, which funds the puppet video project.

WCET’s team begins writing the script, and Piphus begins writing all of the original songs for the series of videos.

2019

The videos go into production.

WCET transforms its studio into several different sets, and Madcap Puppets pitches in with puppeteers. And Cincinnati music legend, Bootsy Collins, voices one of the characters!

2020

The puppet videos premiere at a special event at UC's 1819 Innovation Hub.