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Neighbors FCU helps Walker student start “Book and Braids” reading program

BATON ROUGE, LA (December 7, 2018) — Last year, Neighbors FCU hosted a contestfor high school students in the Greater Baton Rouge area to submit an essay on how they improve our community using just $100. Emily Seighman suggested that she would purchase children’s books and hair care products and help children learn to read while braiding their hair before school. She called her idea Books and Braids.

Neighbors selected her idea as the winnerand provided the funds to make this idea a reality this school year.

Once a week, Seighman has visited Denham Springs Elementary before class to enhance the reading skills of four students in the second grade. Three of these students are English as a Second Language students.

“Three of these girls are ESL, which means they are Spanish-speaking at home,” Seighman said. “The only time they get exposed to English is here at school. So, them coming in and getting their hair done while learning to read is pretty awesome.”

“Sometimes it’s a matter of how to give rather than how much you should give,” Neighbors President and CEO Steve Webb said. “We commend Emily for her outstanding idea and efforts, and are committed to supporting educational programs in the communities we serve.”

Walker High School recently named Seighman “Student of the Year.” She will graduate in May.

Seighman and a representative of Neighbors FCU will be available for interviews, Monday, December 10th at 6:50 AM at Denham Springs Elementary School located at 306 N Range Ave, Denham Springs, LA 70726.


About Neighbors Federal Credit Union

Neighbors Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative operating as an  association dedicated to "people helping people." A handful of educators started Baton Rouge  Teachers in 1954 with a shoe box, a couple hundred dollars and the goal of making financial  services available to school system employees in our area.   Now, Neighbors Federal Credit Union is the largest community-chartered credit union in the  state of Louisiana with over 76,000 members and over $1 billion in assets. Since that time,  Neighbors has undergone a variety of changes, but the mission has stayed the same: Enhance  members' financial well-being and be a partner in the communities Neighbors serves.

Contacts

Betty Mujica-Milano
Community Outreach Coordinator
bmujica-milano@neighborsfcu.org |
225-819-5627 

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