Eglin Federal Credit Union, The First Bank and Okaloosa Saves partner in the Teach Children to Save Campaign

Eglin Federal Credit Union partnered with Okaloosa Saves and The First Bank for the annual Teach Children to Save campaign April 1 – June 30. Youth were encouraged to set a savings goal and make a deposit into their savings account. Their names were entered into a random drawing for six children to win a $50 deposit into their savings account from Okaloosa Saves. Winners were invited to the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners board meeting on Tuesday, July 16 to receive their certificates and recognition.

This year, there were 106 youth from Eglin FCU and six youth from The First Bank under the age of 18 who participated in the Okaloosa Saves Teach Children to Save campaign with deposits totaling $20,169.64. Since the program began in 2004, 2,398 children made deposits totaling $393,610.

The six winners were:

• Calvin Hopper, Crestview

• Keegan Hughes, Miramar Beach (The First Bank)

• Emily Pear Kirkpatrick, Crestview

• Norrace Lampert, Niceville

• Santana Stewart, Freeport

• Anakin Tedder, Niceville

Chairman Paul Mixon, District 1, said, “I commend the winners and all of the children who participated in this year’s Okaloosa Saves Teach Children to Save campaign. It’s encouraging to see how the Okaloosa Saves program continues to promote the importance of saving, reducing debt and creating financial wellness. We appreciate the work and progress this program has achieved over the years in teaching our children how to build a sound foundation of financial stability.”

Eglin Federal Credit Union President/CEO Jerry Williams said, “We look forward to offering this youth savings program every year because it is so important to teach children about the importance of saving. Eglin FCU has proudly partnered with Okaloosa Saves for 20 years to help provide financial education to our community, and we plan to continue this effort for years to come.”

Sherry Harlow, APR, who serves on the Okaloosa Saves Board as the Treasurer said, “I have served on Okaloosa Saves for 21 years and am pleased to see the impact the Teaching Children to Save program has made over the years with $393,610 saved by area youth.”

Savings Tips for Parents:

·        Talk about the importance of budgeting and saving money

·        Visit your local EFCU branch to open a savings account or deposit into an existing account

·        Teach the basics of investing

·        Encourage them to be entrepreneurs

·        Be a role model