![](https://mainecul.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NorState-Photo-CU-Youth-266x300.jpg)
Bryce Hebert, a 2nd grader at Dr. Levesque’s Elementary School, is photographed with his take home bank from NorState FCU along with NorState’s Financial Literacy Coordinator, Danielle Hebert.
Last fall, during International Credit Union Week, second grade classrooms throughout Aroostook County were invited to tour NorState Federal Credit Union facilities in Madawaska, Van Buren, Eagle Lake, Ashland, Fort Kent, and Presque Isle to learn about savings and see how a credit union operates. Each student who visited was given a classroom savings bag and challenged to save their spare change throughout the winter to raise money for Special Olympics of Maine
Challenge posed – challenge accepted!
To commemorate CU Youth Month, NorState FCU revisited each classroom in April to provide additional lessons about saving, spending, and giving, and see how the students did with their savings challenge. Through their classroom savings banks, students donated over $350 to support Special Olympics. NorState matched a portion of their donation and will collectively be making a $600 contribution to Special Olympics of Maine.
Participating schools included Madawaska Elementary, Dr. Levesque’s Elementary School in Frenchville, Fort Kent Elementary, Presque Isle Elementary, Easton Elementary, Van Buren Elementary, and Ashland Schools. Mrs. Hedou’s students from Madawaska Elementary School saved the most money, donating a total of $70.93.