OTIS Federal Credit Union hosts Financial Fitness Fairs at Spruce Mountain High School
ST.JAY, ME (October 30, 2023) — OTIS Federal Credit Union hosted two Financial Fitness Fairs during the month of October for the Spruce Mountain High School juniors and sophomores. These Fairs functioned as a budgeting exercise: the students would start by choosing a career and then had to visit various themed stations (such as Housing and Transportation) where they would add monthly expenses to their budget similar to what they would face in a real-life situation. Because unexpected expenses can arise in everyday life, students also had to spin the “Wheel of Life” at some point during the Fair, which would give them a Stroke of Luck (money to add to their monthly spending amount) or a Misfortune (a deduction from their monthly spending amount). The end goal was to complete the exercise under budget. For their participation, all students were offered an OTIS gift bag, and eight students also won gift certificates.
OTIS FCU’s Director of Marketing Kimberly Couture coordinated with SMHS School Counselor Christopher Beaudoin for the setup of these events, which were staffed by OTIS FCU employees and board members. Regarding the employee involvement for the Financial Fitness Fair, OTIS FCU President/CEO Chris Bouchard remarked, “When presented with the opportunity to help run a Financial Fitness Fair for our local high school students, employees and board members, who were also prior teachers, expressed interest. We had representation from every department at the Credit Union, and they all went above and beyond to make it a positive and fun experience for students. The students of Spruce Mountain are a wonderful group of kids with a promising future, and OTIS FCU is thankful to be a part of their financial education experience.”
After the completion of both Fairs, School Counselor Christopher Beaudoin commented, “Spruce Mountain High School is very grateful to OTIS Federal Credit Union for coming to the school to teach, in a fun way, fiscal responsibility to our students. The students were very much engaged in the activities and I believe learned a great deal of what is involved in real world personal finance. I am hoping this can be something we can do with the Credit Union and our students annually. I also would like to say that it is really incredible to have such a community minded financial institution in these three towns that really cares for the people that it serves.”
OTIS Federal Credit Union looks forward to an ongoing partnership with Spruce Mountain High School and continuing to be a financial education resource for the local community.
(Pictured here are several of the OTIS FCU employees who ran the SMHS Financial Fitness Fairs.)
(SMHS sophomores visit the various booths during OTIS FCU’s Financial Fitness Fair budgeting exercise.)
About OTIS Federal Credit Union
OTIS Federal Credit Union was founded in April of 1954 by eleven local millworkers. Pooling their respective deposits of $5 each, they associated themselves as charter members of OTIS under the provision of the Federal Credit Union Act. At a time in America when obtaining a loan was difficult for the average family, the founders of OTIS sought to form a cooperative, independent financial institution operated and controlled solely by its local membership.
Since its inception, OTIS has been committed not only to providing quality financial products and services to its shareholders, but to giving back to the community. Today, OTIS is a full-service financial center offering real estate, auto, and personal lending; digital banking; a variety of checking, savings, and investment accounts; Visa debit and credit cards; financial planning; and much more. OTIS serves more than 11,000 members and holds over $250 million in assets, employing 26 people from Jay and the surrounding area. The Credit Union is located at 170 Main Street in Jay, Maine. For more information, please visit www.otisfcu.coop or call (207) 897-0900.
