DuPont Community CU Takes Top Award for Teaching Money Management Basics to Young People

WAYNESBORO, VA (12/22/2011)(readMedia)-- DuPont Community Credit Union has won 1st Place in the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Awards for credit unions. The Desjardins Awards, sponsored by the Virginia Credit Union League and the Credit Union National Association, honor credit unions for their commitment to teaching personal finance basics to young people.

DCCU was recognized for several innovative financial education initiatives, and for having reached 6,470 students with lessons on personal finance basics.

The credit union has worked to incorporate Virginia's education Standards of Learning into its outreach efforts, tying these core educational goals to programs it offers in the classroom and through educational field trips to the credit union's branches.

The credit union's partnerships with local elementary schools have enabled it to teach lessons on the importance of savings and to distribute free resources to students.

MileStones, an innovative Youth Program developed by the credit union, incents young people to develop a savings habit and learn responsible money management skills.

Youth who participate in and complete the personal finance program can obtain loans through the credit union, with DCCU having disbursed to date more than $186,300 in loans to young people who have completed the program.

"Financial education is an important way we give back to our members and our community," said Gerald Hershey, president/CEO of DuPont Community Credit Union. "We believe strongly that teaching people how to responsibly manage their personal finances and to wisely use credit not only benefits the individual, but ultimately also strengthens our community."

DCCU is a not-for-profit financial cooperative and was founded in 1959. The Credit Union currently has over 59,000 members, and over $781 million in assets. DCCU operates nine branches in the Central Shenandoah Valley region. For more information visit our website at www.mydccu.com.

The award is named in honor of Alphonse Desjardins, the founder of the North American credit union movement, who established the first "caisse populaire" (people's bank) in Quebec in 1900, and helped establish the first American credit union in New Hampshire in 1909.

Desjardins was an ardent believer in the value of teaching children to save, and he promoted the idea of in-school savings programs (caisses scolaires).