It’s All About Partnership

The first word that comes to mind when I think about Financial Literacy Month is “partnership,” and the CrossState Credit Union Foundation and our member credit unions have taken it to the next level.  

A lot of these partnerships are centered on Financial Reality Fairs—hands-on simulations that allow participants to learn to budget in a practical setting. We partner with schools, nonprofits, state governments, and each other! Let me give you some examples: 

• Credit union chapters often hold Fairs, bringing multiple credit unions together to promote financial education. For instance, the Lancaster Chapter has hosted them for urban high schools and the Johnstown Chapter for rural high schools. 

• The Greater Reading Reality Fair Committee is a group of 10 credit unions who hold over 10 fairs a year in their region. 

• There is a coalition of New Jersey credit unions that volunteer at each other’s fairs. 

• The Foundation has been working with the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice systems for the past few years. In New Jersey, we work with Pat Holliday, a five-time retiree who’s committed to helping youth. She is a force that I hope I can be someday. 

“Students are capable of doing good things and this gives them valuable information and a glimpse of how they can change the direction of their lives.” – Pat Holliday 

It is such great experience walking into a Fair and seeing different credit union logos. But the biggest pleasure is that we know one another and support the work of each other. 

In addition, the PA Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services in the Department of Human Services has an incredible program called the Pennsylvania Academic, Career, and Technical Training (PACTT) Alliance. It features a network of 85 affiliated juvenile justice agencies across the state who are charged with offering financial education to their clients. They have been working with the Foundation and our credit unions to promote financial literacy. In fact, just the other day we were connecting people with a Youth Forestry program and Timberland Federal Credit Union!  

The credit union philosophy is “people helping people,” and there’s no better representation of that than credit unions forming partnerships to bring financial education to younger generations. And when one seeks support, the response is always the same—“Yes, we can help!”