Horizon Federal Credit Union teaches young students about good savings habits
WILLIAMSPORT, PA (March 28, 2024) — Cheers rang out from three hundred enthusiastic second and third graders upon meeting Hedgie, a seven-foot colorful hedgehog. The students had just heard the story about how Hedgie applied strong financial knowledge to purchase a new bike. The event was all part of a financial literacy assembly at Cochran Secondary School in Williamsport, coordinated and facilitated by Horizon Federal Credit Union.
Hedgie Buys a Bike tells the story of Horizon’s youth mascot and his quest to purchase a new bicycle. As children follow Hedgie along his journey, they learn important financial skills such as earning and saving money, earning interest from a savings account, budgeting, and making smart financial choices. The 40-page full-color book was created internally with text and illustrations completed by Horizon staff. The credit union is using Hedgie Buys a Bike as a resource for their financial literacy program, which teaches skills such as budgeting, buying a home, increasing your credit score, and more. Horizon touts “education” as one of their core values and a key towards helping their members experience a brighter financial future.
“We wanted to create a story that would be relatable to children,” said Michael Patterson, Horizon’s Chief Branding Officer and one of the book’s contributors. “Financial literacy is an important skill; unfortunately, one that is rarely taught in most schools. Like any important skill, developing good habits early is vital to being successful later in life.”
The students in attendance were treated to a reading of the book by Paige McHenry, Horizon’s Training Professional. Paige incorporates different voices to bring each character to life. At the end of the reading, the students had an opportunity to meet Hedgie and receive their own copy of the book once they returned to class.
“The students really enjoyed the program and loved meeting Hedgie,” said Kristiann McQuown, a second grade teacher at Cochran. “They learned about the power of saving money through the book, and were even able to take a copy home to share with their families. It was a great way for our students to learn about saving money!”
About Horizon Federal Credit Union
Horizon Federal Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative providing financial services to approximately 14,400 members with offices in Lock Haven, Muncy, State College, and Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Membership is open to those who l live, work, worship or attend school in the eleven Pennsylvania counties of Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Sullivan, Tioga, or Union. To find out more visit us at horizonfcu.org.
