Winning the Game of LiFE
Posted on: Sunday, 20 July 2008, 03:00 CDT
By Anonymous
Two banks, two bankers receive awards for their financial literacy contributions In Amarillo, Lilia Escajeda volunteers thousands of hours on an annual basis teaching financial responsibility to Habitat for Humanity homeowners, Cal Parley's Boys Ranch residents, elementary school students, refugees and recent immigrants, to name just a few groups. Down south, in the border city of McAllen, Dora Brown works hard to help combat the financial literacy void that exists among young people in the Rio Grande Valley. In East Texas, Citizens National Bank of Henderson has, for the past 13 years, helped youngsters learn to save money through its Early Savers program, which allows students to open savings accounts and make deposits at school. Austin Bank employees in Jacksonville, through their "Teach Children to Save" campaign, visited more than 27,000 students in 71 schools teaching lessons on saving and spending wisely.
These are the recipients of the second annual Leaders in Financial Education (LiFE) Awards, given out at TBA's Annual Convention in San Diego. This is the second year TBA has given out LiFE awards to banks for their financial education contributions, and the first year for the individual recipients.
The winners and their contributions include:
Austin Bank, Jacksonville
Helping the youth of East Texas save and learn money-management skills was the focus of Austin Bank's "Teach Children to Save" campaign, which took place in October 2007. Elementary schools in all communities served by Austin Bank's 23 locations were invited to participate. Program materials were given to 27,716 students in 1,069 classrooms.
Teachers were given packets containing instructional resources designed to make learning about money fun. The bank donated children's books to each classroom, including "Bunny Money" by Rosemary Wells and "Dollars and Sense" by Stan and Jan Berenstain.
In addition, students were given the opportunity to win a $50 savings bond in a coloring contest. Bank employees selected 202 winners from the 13,145 coloring sheets returned to the bank, and the winning artwork was displayed in each bank location.
"We want this program to help children gain money management skills and be better prepared to make financial decisions in the future," said Vice Chairman of the Board Jeff Austin III. The bank's "Teach Children to Save" campaign accomplished this goal, while making it fun for the students.
Citizens National Bank, Henderson
Citizens National Bank's commitment to providing financial education in its communities is evident in the variety of programs it offers. The bank's primary focus is on its "Early Savers" program, which allows students to open savings accounts and make deposits at school. The program, which started in October 1995, is now offered in 16 different communities. More than 25 bank employees visit the 22 schools on a bi-weekly basis to take deposits for more than 1,800 active accounts.
Milton McGee, Dora Brown, Lilia Escajeda and Jeff Austin III.
In addition to the "Early Savers" program, many Citizens National Bank employees go out into the community to offer financial education. For example, employees have taught the Junior Achievement curriculum to second graders and high school students. Lessons on credit were provided at the Boys and Girls Clubs; FDIC Money Smart was taught at a local church; and high school business classes received lessons on checking and savings accounts, as well as on mortgage and consumer loans.
Several locations of the bank also host tours each fall for local students, giving them the opportunity to observe all the departments, view the safe deposit and cash vaults, learn to cash checks and hear about the importance of credit.
Citizens National Bank is definitely doing its part to help prepare students to be financially responsible.
Dora Brown, International Bank of Commerce-McAllen
Dora Brown, senior vice president of International Bank of Commerce in McAllen, is a 37-year veteran of the banking industry. She epitomizes IBC's "We Do More" philosophy, dedicating her time and energy to making IBC and the community a better place.
Brown leads, organizes and trains the IBC Employee Advisory Boarda group of IBC employees who coordinate all of the bank's community outreach efforts. She was instrumental in establishing the conceptual framework of a bank micro-community at Sam Houston Elementary School. The program gives students a solid understanding of financial concepts at an early age. The children learn to pay bills, keep financial records and save money.
She discussed this program at the Financial Literacy Summit in Dallas last year, and, as a result of overwhelming interest on the part of attendees, organized a "field trip" to the campus for bankers, elected officiais, regulators and TBA and IBAT staff.
Brown also coordinates IBC's annual, corporate-wide community outreach initiatives. In 2007, these included "Money Buzz," a kidfriendly lesson on personal finance for children ages 5-9 and their parents. These sessions were held in honor of Financial Literacy Month and as part of the bank's promotion of financial education.
Lilia Escajeda, Amarillo National Bank
Lilia Escajeda, a 29-year employee of Amarillo National Bank, serves as vice president and public relations and Community Reinvestment Act officer. Her civic and community involvement go back many years. She volunteers thousands of hours annually with an emphasis on financial literacy and minorities.
As one of her peers said, "It would take volumes to list all of Lilia's activities that have made a difference for Amarillo."
Here are just a few:
* Every year since 2000, Escajeda recruits and organizes volunteers from her bank to participate in ABA's Teach Children to Save Day in April. More than 50 classrooms and 1,000 students across the district benefit each year.
* In secondary schools, Escajeda provides lessons on "Get Smart About Credit."
* For the past three years, she has participated in the district- wide Junior/Senior event, "Ready for the Real World?" where she discusses the wise use of credit and the dangers of identity theft.
* She provides basic banking information to refugee groups at least once a quarter for Catholic Family Services' refugee program.
* She helped establish a school branch of Amarillo National Bank at Rolling Hills Elementary School, and created a bank branch at Cal Parley's Boys Ranch.
* She also offers financial literacy classes to recent immigrants, Habitat for Humanity homeowners and low-income citizens, with an emphasis on the mortgage process and loan qualification.
Amarillo is definitely a better place due to Escajeda's dedication to financial literacy.
Copyright Texas Banker Association Jul 2008
(c) 2008 Texas Banking. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Texas Banking
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