In February, at a ceremony held at the Wisconsin State Capitol, Governor Tony Evers honored the award recipients of the 2023 Governor’s Financial Literacy Awards. Educators Credit Union, Fort Community Credit Union, Royal Credit Union, and WESTconsin Credit Union were among the recipients.
Recipients were honored for their endeavors to help Wisconsinites build their financial literacy and capability skills. “Financial education gives people the tools they need to achieve their goals, expand their opportunities, and attain financial security for themselves and their families,” said Gov. Evers. “These dedicated individuals and organizations are doing important work to help Wisconsinites become more financially secure and prepare for their futures, which is a critical part of strengthening the financial well-being of our entire state.”
View credit union winners below:
Educators Credit Union
Mount Pleasant
The Educators Credit Union “Youth Apprenticeship” program supports hands-on financial literacy by hiring students to work in one of five high school Educators Credit Union branches. At these student-run branches, students and teachers have direct access to open an account, make withdrawals and deposits, and use the onsite ATM. Students participating in the “Youth Apprenticeship” program learn how a financial cooperative works and is structured, while gaining professional skills, financial knowledge, and earning an income. All student participants have opened a checking and savings account, and about 70% of students are offered full-time or part-time positions at the credit union.
Fort Community Credit Union
Fort Atkinson
Fort Community Credit Union has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to promoting financial knowledge, capability, and inclusion within the communities it serves. In the past year, Fort Community Credit Union has focused on fraud prevention in the senior community, financial education for youth and the homeless, financial inclusion for Hispanic members, and products that encourage saving. As a result, over 1,700 individuals were impacted and there was an increase of 498.40% in specialized accounts that encourage emergency savings and automated savings.
Royal Credit Union
Eau Claire
Royal Credit Union created “Go Big or Go Broke®,” a life-sized financial education board game to deliver exciting interactive financial education to young adults aged 17 to 22. This tool was designed to reach young adults and others where they are – on college campuses, at high school events, and at state fairs – to provide a fun way to learn financial independence. Since late 2021, Royal Credit Union has hosted 16 “Go Big or Go Broke®” events with over 927 participants.
WESTconsin Credit Union
Menomonie
WESTconsin Credit Union places a high priority on financial literacy and aligns its resources with numerous programs to promote financial education within the communities WESTconsin serves. Over 47,000 students and adults have been impacted over the past year. WESTconsin does this through its partnership with Banzai, which offers an interactive education platform, Mad City Money, which offers real life financial simulations, and the Finance and Investment Challenge Bowl, which is a financial literacy competition for high school students.
View full DFI release here.