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Spring is always a busy time for the Aroostook Chapter of Credit Unions. The Chapter devotes a significant amount of time and resources planning their Financial Fitness Fair for students attending high school in Aroostook County. The annual event is typically held at the Loring Air Force Base in Limestone and sees approximately 400 students.
While the pandemic paused the fair from happening the last two years, the efforts by the Chapter to get critical financial wellness materials into the hands of students have not. Because in-person learning still faces some restrictions, the Chapter is moving their popular fair to a virtual environment. During the months of April and May, the Chapter will be hosting Virtual Financial Fitness Fairs. Their goal is to coordinate a fair with every high school in The County. The online event with the schools will be preceded by presentations on budgeting, credit, loan basics, and financial aid.
“I commend the Aroostook Chapter for their strong commitment to ensuring the benefits of attending a Financial Fitness Fair are not missed during this lingering pandemic,” said Jake Holmes, the League’s Financial Literacy Outreach Coordinator. “A great deal of planning has gone into hosting this event virtually and I’m confident it will be a big success!”
The first virtual event is scheduled to take place on April 15 at Van Buren District Secondary School. Many of the online experiences are taking place during Credit Union Youth Month. April also is recognized as National Financial Literacy Month.
“Our Chapter could not offer a face-to-face event again this spring, but we did not want to completely lose the momentum we’ve gained with this effort over the years,” said Jill Bouchard Cairns, Chief Relationship Officer at Acadia FCU. “We made the decision to go virtual and have been working hard to make it a great experience for our local students. Each of the three chapter credit unions—Acadia FCU, NorState FCU, and The County FCU—were assigned schools to work with. All of us have been busy ironing out the details, but it will be worth it. Financial education is something we all care deeply about.”
If your chapter or credit union is interested in hosting a Virtual Financial Fitness Fair for a school in your area, email Jake Holmes at jholmes@mainecul.org.