SACS juniors learn fiscal responsibility

    Southern Aroostook Community School students were invited to attend a Financial Fitness Fair at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Lincoln on April 8. The Northern Penobscot Chapter of Credit Unions in conjunction with the Maine Credit Union League hosted the event for area high school juniors and seniors. Without the support of the MELMAC Education Foundation, SACS students would not have opportunities to attend such events.
    Founded in 2004, Maine credit unions introduced a new concept in youth financial education through Financial Fitness – A Money Management Experience. It is a half-day event that is similar to the game of “LIFE,” where participating students are given a career and monthly income and then have to visit booths associated with various expenses that the average adult is faced with each month. Costs, such as transportation, housing, clothing, food, student loans, insurance and several other everyday expenses, are filled in on a monthly budget form by each student. At the end of the event, the goal is for students to have a monthly budget that does not exceed monthly income.
    When students arrived at the event, they picked their credit score out of a basket. They were given a leather bound portfolio with a built in calculator. Students had pre-selected a career and were given a budget sheet with a yearly and monthly salary.
    GEAR UP Advisor, Jessica Walker said, “It was such a well organized event. It was great to see how focused they were on making sure their budget sheets balanced out in the end.”
    “I was impressed with the enthusiasm of the students,” said SACS Guidance Counselor Charlotte Durr. “They were very involved and focused on completing the budget and making sure all cost areas were covered.”
    The following SACS students were the happy recipients of gift cards: Ben Boutilier, Rochelle Nadeau, Evengeline Goodall, Devin Rudge and Matt Munroe. Winning an Easter basket filled with chocolate goodies was Kimberly Pratt.
    The following credit unions participated in the Financial Fitness Fair, making it such a huge success: Eastmill Federal Credit Union, Katahdin Federal Credit Union, Lincoln Maine Federal Credit Union and Howland-Enfield Federal Credit Union.