Fort Knox Federal receives national award for youth financial literacy
RADCLIFF, KY (November 21, 2019) — Fort Knox Federal Credit Union is receiving national recognition, in addition to recent statewide accolades, as a 2019 award recipient of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Alphonse Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award. The credit union received an honorable mention in the more than $1 billion asset category. Winning credit unions will be recognized at CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC), February 23 – 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
The Desjardins Awards are named after Alphonse Desjardins, the founder of the North American credit union movement. Besides founding the first credit unions in Canada and the U.S., Desjardins pioneered youth savings clubs and in-school “banks” to encourage the working classes to save and plan for the future and provide the credit they needed for economic recovery. This award honors credit unions, chapters and leagues for their commitment to both youth and adult financial literacy.
“As a lead sponsor of financial education, our Credit Union is making a positive, long-term impact on the communities we serve. This is just the beginning of our efforts to help hard-working Kentucky families achieve more,” said Ray Springsteen, Fort Knox Federal President & CEO. “In 2020, high schoolers throughout the state will have access to financial literacy programs because of our support. Military families and the community will also have expanded access to holistic health and wellness resources, including financial counseling, through our long-term investment of $1.5 million in partnership with Hardin Memorial Health Foundation.”
The Fort Knox Federal Vault, an interactive financial literacy program, launched in early 2019 at several local elementary and middle schools. The program empowers students to be smart financial decision makers while they are early in their cognitive development. In addition to the Credit Union’s youth initiatives, a full-range of online educational tools are available for adults at fortknoxfcu.org. Fort Knox Federal also hosts the annual Operation Veterans 2 Entrepreneurs event, in partnership with the SBDC, to provide mission critical information to help veterans build and grow their small businesses
Recently, the credit union announced a $1.5 million long-term investment to support military and community health in Radcliff, Ky. The ten-year financial commitment and partnership, made through the Hardin Memorial Health Foundation, will help expand services and explore the links between physical, mental, social and financial well-being at HMH Medical Group Radcliff Family Medicine clinic located near the Wilson Gate of Fort Knox.
About Fort Knox Federal Credit Union
Fort Knox Federal is a local, not-for-profit financial cooperative that has been serving the community since 1950. We are the largest Kentucky-based credit union with approximately $1.6 billion in assets and were named Favorite Mortgage Lender and Favorite Financial Institution in the 2019 News-Enterprise Readers Choice Survey. Fort Knox Federal exists to improve the financial lives of its members, which now include over 105,000 individuals in our civilian and military communities. It’s simple to become a member, visit our website at www.fortknoxfcu.org to see how you may be eligible.
