STATE COLLEGE, Penn.–The Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation has honored four Leaders in Financial Literacy at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College. The awards program, presented by PSECU, featured John Park, D.Ed., Director, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, as emcee. A display award and grant were presented to the two credit union and two non-profit organization winners in support of their programs.
The winners were PSECU, Westmoreland Community Federal Credit Union, Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation, and Family Services of Western Pennsylvania.
- Harrisburg-based PSECU’s Wallet Works Expanding Financial Education Beyond the Classroom took first place. This program consists of helpful tools to navigate the sometimes choppy waters of personal finance. PSECU offers tip sheets, articles, presentations and interactive materials such as games and worksheets to guide members and non-members alike along the path to responsible money management.
- Next was Westmoreland Community Federal Credit Union, Greensburg, PA, for their Partners in Learning program, which encompasses all of the credit union’s financial literacy programming. This includes two student branches, the Cha-Ching! Teen Savers Program, and their largest-reaching program, Clubhouse Life Little Savers.
- Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), located in King of Prussia, PA, operates mini-loan and low-interest loan programs for Pennsylvanians with disabilities who want to purchase assistive technology. PATF was the third-place winner for their Cents and $ensibility, a guide to money management publication, which provides financial education to applicants, people with disabilities and family members.
- Pittsburgh’s Family Services of Western Pennsylvania’s winning entry was their Ways to Work Transportation Loan and Financial Literacy Program. This program offers low-interest car and car repair loans to low income families and individuals in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan area. All participants are required to participate in financial literacy training, with 96.5% showing significant improvement in knowledge gain from pre to post-test.