MILLVILLE, N.J. – Bay Atlantic FCU, Members 1st of NJ FCU, and Thunderbolt Area FCU teamed up to bring the hands-on personal finance experience to financial literacy classes at Millville Memorial High School, marking the 100th Reality Fair the New Jersey Credit Union Foundation (Foundation) has hosted in the state. The program has reached more than 13,600 students throughout the state since the program’s inception in 2010.
“This is an incredibly profound milestone for the program,” said Foundation Chairman Michael Hou. “Financial literacy is at the core of our mission here at the Foundation. Through the Reality Fair program, we are empowering our credit unions to educate those in their community, especially those in high school and college today.”
With the demand for the program increasing, the board recently approved an increase of the number of grants available to New Jersey credit unions from two to four grants per school year. The board will continue to consider grant applications for 50% of the Reality Fair costs.
“This program is the people helping people philosophy at its finest,” said Foundation Secretary/Treasurer and New Jersey Credit Union League President/CEO David Frankil. “Our member credit unions are helping to educate and empower young people before they step out into the ‘real world’ in a fun, accessible, and hands-on way that promotes thrift, good spending/savings habits, and credit unions as a viable option for banking."
“Since I started at the League and the Foundation nine years ago, I have seen this program grow and flourish, and it warms my heart to see us reach such a significant milestone,” said Foundation Executive Director Marissa Anema, who helped build and develop the program in 2010. “I am incredibly proud of the Foundation and credit unions across the state for their dedication to the industry’s mission to spread financial awareness, education, and empowerment to their communities.”
At the Millville Memorial High School Fair, volunteers from the three sponsoring credit unions as well as Bridgeton Onized FCU, Deepwater Industries FCU, Jersey Shore FCU, and the New Jersey Credit Union Foundation manned the various lifestyle booths and helped 340 students make financial choices. The students then sat with financial counselors, also volunteers from the credit unions, to go over the experience.