Cascade Community Credit Union and Sutherlin High School Collaborate on Financial Literacy Program for Students

Roseburg, OR, January 10, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Cascade Community Credit Union, a local co-op credit union, today announced its support of Sutherlin High School’s financial literacy program to educate students on the importance of finances, savings and investing.

“Cascade Community Credit Union is honored and excited to be an instrumental part of this program as it is an important endeavor to educate students and our community of the importance of financial literacy,” says Gretchen Koester, CEO of Cascade Community Credit Union.

Three Sutherlin High School students originally developed the new financial literacy curriculum for their entry into the upcoming Future Business Leaders of America—a non-profit educational association of students preparing for careers in business. The Sutherlin High School class focuses on creating a software program that outlines the curriculum and provides in-depth knowledge on how to improve personal finances.

“The idea for this program originally stemmed from a 60 Minutes segment on CBS that featured financial guru, Dave Ramsey,” says Sutherlin School District’s Jacinda Sullivan, who is coordinating the program. “Ramsey’s course, ‘Financial Peace for the Next Generation,’ provides valuable insights for the students as they prepare to get a better handle on their finances.”

The three month training curriculum would initially have eleven seniors and two underclassmen who would collaborate to develop the program, create a plausible fundraising plan to purchase the Dave Ramsey software and lab manuals, and coordinate visits to local financial institutions, such as Cascade Community Credit Union. Most importantly, the program is designed to gain valuable knowledge on financial literacy—not only for the students, but for the entire community.

Cascade Community Credit Union will also provide resources toward the Ramsey software and requisite books. On January 10th, the students will visit Cascade Community Credit Union to receive a personalized tour of the credit union, as well as participate in financial literacy overviews presented by Cascade Community Credit Union employees.

The Sutherlin High School students also plan to present their program at the State Business Leadership Conference in Portland in April 2008. If the project wins at the state level, the students will be eligible for the National Fall Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia later this year.

About Cascade Community Credit Union

Established in 1948, Cascade Community Credit Union exclusively serves members in Douglas County, Oregon. All residents of Douglas County are eligible to join the credit union.

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