LAUREL, Mont.-- What do an Uromastyx, a Great Horned Owl, and a Ball Python have in common? All recently visited SEG Federal Credit Union to bring new faces into the building, help kids “get wild about saving,” and otherwise promote financial education.
“There is so much technology in today’s society and while we fully embrace the benefits and efficiencies it brings, we also don’t get to see our members as much as in the past,” said SEG Vice President Danielle Kopp. “This event was an opportunity for members and non-members to actually come in to the credit union.”
Troy Paisley, director of education at Zoo Montana, said it was his first time taking animals into a financial institution in his three years in the position. “Our main goal is to connect people with animals,” he said.
Paisley said he loves the words of a former colleague who said if “you can touch the heart, you can teach the mind.” This, perhaps surprisingly, is something zoos and credit unions have in common. Credit unions, too, see people as the center of their business and embrace the principle of “people helping people.”