LOCAL BUSINESSES STEPPING UP TO HELP TEENS LEARN BUDGETING BASICS
Over 75 Community Volunteers Sign Up to Man Booths at Killingly High School Financial Reality Fair April 27th
Groton, CT-April 20, 2011 – On Wednesday, April 27th, over 350 students will make their way to Killingly High School in Danielson to attend a Real Solutions Financial Reality Fair sponsored by Connecticut Credit Unions. Featuring simulated spending situations that occur regularly in every day life (such as purchasing a car, paying for groceries or renting an apartment); the event is designed to teach teens the basics and importance of budgeting.
With six local high schools signing up to attend (Fitch High School, Plainfield High School, Great Path Academy, Tourtellotte Memorial High School, Ellis Technical High School and Killingly High School), event organizers sought the help of local businesses to help man the various booths. Recruited by Sonya Armstrong of Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, 15 local businesses have signed up to participate, including Charter Oak FCU, Bill’s Bedding, Panera Catering, Metrocast, Frito Lay, Personal Care Federal Credit Union, Achieve Financial Federal Credit Union, Brooklyn Auto Sales, Verizon Wireless, Northeast Family Federal Credit Union, Greater Hartford Healthcare Federal Credit Union, EmbroidMe, Northeast CT Healthcare FCU and Greater Hartford Police Federal Credit Union.
Booths students visit throughout the event include those featuring cell phone packages, furniture, pets and gym memberships-are all designed to get students to blow their cash without thinking about their budgets. Pairing businesses with booths that fit their specialty (Metrocast will offer cable and television packages, Frito Lay will work the food booth and Bill’s Bedding will pitch furniture options), organizers expect students to get off budget quickly while learning tough lessons on the reality of how expensive the real world can be. To further enhance the experience of the event, students will sit down with financial counselors at the end of the fair in order to hear advice on spending, saving and investing for the future.
For more information about the upcoming Financial Reality Fair at Killingly High School on April 27th, please contact Kim Bartlett, Charter Oak’s Community Relations Coordinator at 860-446-3254.
