Country Drive murder had tragic twist for children
December 9, 2015
FAST Act could provide cash for I-49, LA 1
December 9, 2015
Navigating through often-complex financial situations such as investing wisely and saving effectively are skills Capital One Bank believes people should learn early on as a stepping stone to making more informed decisions in adulthood.
Tri-parish region associates of the bank did their part last Wednesday to spread that philosophy to students in Lafourche Parish with an early Christmas gift of books related to smart spending and saving.
Representatives from branches in Lafourche, Terrebonne and St. Charles parishes visited Galliano Elementary School last week to distribute finance-related literature to each student at the public school. Each grade received literature tailored to their reading level, touching on subjects like how to save money, the value of a dollar and investments in a way that is engaging for young learners. The students also received a bag to transport the books from school to home and a deck of UNO cards incorporating basic finance terms into the classic card game.
“Each child is getting four books that are somewhat geared to financial literacy,” Jed Pitre, Galliano branch manager, said of the donation. “Little stories about money and things like that. They’re also getting a deck of UNO cards. You can play a game with the cards or read the books. The books are geared to each grade level. The kindergarteners got simplistic stuff and so on.”
Hardcover books and games were also donated to the school’s library to continue the skills encouraged by Capital One Bank during school hours. In all, the donation totaled approximately $10,000, according to Capital One Bank spokesman Steven Thorpe.
“[The donation] will definitely improve my non-fiction collection. These are brand new books or in the last few years have been published,” Dione David, the school’s media specialist, said. “They all focus on money or financial things but it’s written on their level so it will really help them and the math teachers as well.”
According to a 2015 America Saves report in which first-time youth workers were asked about saving and spending, a majority expressed that they knew it was important to save but didn’t know how. That lack of knowledge is evident in 60 percent of those surveyed during the 2015 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey that said they spend without a budget, a widely-accepted way to live comfortably within one’s means.
National, non-profit organization The Heart of America Foundation understands the importance of this early knowledge of lifestyle skills like financial literacy and is making it possible for more children to get their hands on the resources necessary to thrive as adults. The foundation partners with organizations like Capital One Bank, providing them a list of possible project ideas and tailoring it to meet their interests and managing the volunteer projects.
“In this particular area, we just provided them with the tools, the resources that they needed, really kind of coordinated it from our area, but they really took the lead,” Angie Halamandaris, Heart of America’s president and co-founder, said. “They put all the bags together, went out and really
walked the talk in providing these resources one-on-one with these children and the school. I think that’s so important, just their example of wanting to get out there and make a difference in the community.”
The donation to Galliano Elementary School was made possible through a financial literacy grant in partnership with Heart of America, which not only provides vital resources and tools for students, but also revitalizes learning spaces like libraries and labs. Through the help of volunteers across the country like Capital One Bank, the foundation has distributed more than 4 million books and transformed more than 325 educational spaces since its inception in 1997.
The resources distributed don’t just help students, Halamandaris said. They are also great tools for the adults leading the way for young spenders and savers.
“These resources can be shared with parents as well, which is also a wonderful example of helping the family understand this issue … [Capital One] has reached over 600,000 students and that’s almost 1.4 million books that they’ve put in the hands of children all across the country,” she said. “I think that its a tremendous example of what we need to be teaching our children… I know my children, who are much older, could have used a lot more financial literacy in their life. Really, we all could. It’s so important to reach children at a young age and help them understand how to manage money and really the importance of being literate as well. The combination of those things is so important.”
For Pitre, the ability to work directly with the next generation is rewarding, a movement he is happy to see expanding in Bayou Country.
“Capital One is big on giving back to the community and this is something they’ve partnered with Heart of America on for many years now,” Pitre explained. “This is the first time we’ve done something this big in this area. We’ve come here in the past and read to them, but we’ve never given them something of this magnitude. We were able to contact Galliano Elementary and they graciously accepted it. It’s a great thing for the kids.”
‘They all focus on money or financial things but it’s written on their level, so it will really help them and the math teachers as well.’
Dione David
Galliano Elementary media specialist
Nadine Felarise, Capital One Bank Larose branch manager, distributes financial literacy books to Galliano Elementary students last Wednesday as part of an initiative to instill important life skills.
Jed Pitre, Capital One Bank Galliano branch manager, distributes financial literacy books at Galliano Elementary.
Third graders at Galliano Elementary receive financial literacy books from tri-parish region Capital One Bank associates Wednesday. The bank distributed four books to every student at the school in an effort to instill vital life skills early on.
