Press
Credit union groups and educators partner to teach kids business basics
$15,000 in materials and training donated to area schools
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 30, 2015) — The Indiana Credit Union Foundation, the TCU Foundation, the National Credit Union Foundation and Teachers’ Treasurers have come together to provide financial literacy resources that will benefit thousands of students in Central Indiana.
The groups will provide 250 DVD boxed sets of Biz Kid$, the Emmy Award-winning and credit union-funded public television series that teaches kids about money management and entrepreneurship. In addition to the DVDs, companion materials – such as lesson plans, workbooks and teacher training – will be available to educators. The value of the materials and associated training is approximately $15,000.
Materials were distributed at Teachers’ Treasures on Jan. 24 to the 50 teachers in attendance. Team members of Teachers Credit Union (TCU) volunteered at this event to give a brief overview of Biz Kid$ and distribute the materials to teachers attending. The remaining materials will be distributed to schools throughout Marion County.
Biz Kid$ is a fun, business-based program aimed at student audiences and is produced by the same people who developed Bill Nye the Science Guy. The 5 episodes included in the distributed materials cover a variety of topics including what to do with money, saving, setting financial goals, budgeting and more.
“Credit unions have been involved with Biz Kid$ since it premiered in 2008. Nationally they have underwritten the production of five seasons of programming; and in Indiana, credit unions have underwritten the carriage of the show on PBS stations statewide,” said Emily Everett, Chairman of the Indiana Credit Union Foundation. “Credit unions have also worked directly with schools throughout Indiana to personally teach lessons on financial literacy. Biz Kid$ is a powerful resource and we are thrilled to work with the TCU Foundation, the National Credit Union Foundation and Teachers’ Treasures to expand the number of students who will be able to experience it.”
“It’s great to see the TCU Foundation leveraging customized Biz Kid$ DVD box sets in their community, especially since this resource has been mapped to state standards for Indiana in the area of financial literacy,” said Danielle Brown, Director of Development & Donor Relations at the National Credit Union Foundation. “It will be amazing to see these few hundred box sets ultimately reach thousands of students to help them make and manage their money.”
“Providing kids with financial literacy tools in the classroom is crucial to their development and will carry over from their school environment into their personal lives as they mature,” said Rick Silvers, Senior Vice President and Chief Retail Officer of TCU. “This will directly benefit their future, their family’s future and the communities where they reside. It pleases me to know that this partnership between the TCU Foundation, the Indiana Credit Union Foundation, the National Credit Union Foundation and Teachers’ Treasures provides passionate educators with unique and enriching materials to teach students these skills.”
Visit www.bizkids.com for more information about Biz Kid$.
CAPTIONS:
1) TCU Foundation Executive Director Karol Griffin is shown at the event, which also included refreshments that were served to educators during a demo presentation of the TV programs.
2) Each educator received a boxed set containing five episodes of Biz Kid$, lesson plans and other materials.
About the Indiana Credit Union Foundation: The Foundation is a charitable arm of the Indiana Credit Union League, which is the trade association for Indiana credit unions—those credit unions serve more than two million members. The Foundation, using contributions from individuals, credit unions and other organizations, funds projects which benefit Hoosier credit unions. These include financial literacy programs, community education, scholarships and grants, credit union development and disaster relief.
About the TCU Foundation: The TCU Foundation was established to support the Credit Union Vision of being a positive force in the communities served by TCU. TCU consistently practices the Credit Union Philosophy of “People Helping People” and the TCU Foundation gives the credit union another opportunity to further its commitment to use resources in a manner to enhance the betterment of the communities in which our members live and work.
About the National Credit Union Foundation: The National Credit Union Foundation is the charitable arm of the U.S. credit union movement and works as a catalyst to improve people’s financial lives through credit unions. For more information, visit www.ncuf.coop
About Teachers’ Treasures: Teachers’ Treasures is a 501c-3 organization that bridges the gap between the great need and available resources for students in Central Indiana. Many businesses and individuals have a surplus of products and materials and are in need of a positive outlet to dispose of them. Teachers Treasures’ provides a unique means to transfer these donated materials to teachers for use in classrooms. Since its beginning in 2000, Teachers’ Treasures has distributed over $35 million worth of free school supplies.