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While talking about finances including student loans, working two jobs to pay for college, and some of the other challenges that come with being a young adult can be a tough topic to engage younger Mainers in, pizza certainly helps. As credit unions continue to reach out to young adults in a variety of ways, Jake Holmes, Young & Free Maine Spokester, is playing a role in those efforts.
Recent examples include Holmes' participating and blogging about a University CU 'By the Slice' Financial Education session (pictured at left), one of several the CU is holding at campuses across Maine. At a session on USM's Gorham campus, Holmes remarked, "There were tons of great tips being brought up and the conversation was very organic. I walked away having met some new faces and gained some knowledge that I'll be applying to my everyday life. Oh, and the pizza was amazing."
In response to a series of fraud and credit card breaches, Holmes shared his own personal experience of almost being a victim of identity theft. "This is not something that people my age generally think or worry about so I wanted to share how quickly it could happen. What was great about the story was how wonderful my credit union was in preventing it." In addition to sharing his story, Holmes also shared tips on how to prevent identity theft.
Finally, Young & Free Maine's 'Bucks for Books' program again made for some happy students across Maine, as a total of $1,500 was awarded to students from Eastern Maine Community College, University of New England, and the University of Maine. Meaghan Brown (pictured here with Jake Holmes of Maine's credit 
unions), a student at EMCC in Bangor and a member of Bangor FCU, was the grand prize winner of $500. "When I spoke with Meaghan, she couldn't say enough great things about her credit union! She was so grateful and excited, and mentioned how she couldn't imagine ever switching to a different financial institution. Also, the $446 she spent on textbooks this semester was reimbursed by her $500 prize!"
Follow Jake and the activities, advice and promotions he offers for the under 30 crowd at www.youngfreemaine.com.