10/10/2025
Conducting financial literacy presentations is something that I’ve always been passionate about, as this is a subject that was not discussed in my home (I was raised in a single parent household by a mom who moved to this country when she was 18). As a young adult, I ruined my credit, and it took me several years to dig myself out of that hole.
In 2006 while working for a local credit union, the President at the time decided to launch a financial literacy program. He asked me to spearhead the task and I did not hesitate. I was sent to trainings and became a NEFI certified counselor. From there, we created curriculum and conducted presentations throughout various school systems in the pioneer valley.
Our largest program was in Springfield, as we quickly discovered that this was the district that needed it the most. I conducted these presentations at several Springfield schools and spoke to students about financial concepts such as delayed gratification, budgeting and credit. In addition, we created a savings program where the credit union provided the initial deposit to open a saving account to any child who wanted to participate in the savings program.
Almost 20 years later, the work still continues. Thousands of students have gone thru the program and although I no longer work at the credit union, the program still thrives. So this morning, I take a moment to thank crosby, who was the President of the credit union at the time, for having the vision to implement a program that was desperately needed in our region.
Thank you Barry for choosing me to lead this endeavor and for sending me to training. P.S.- I’m still doing the work you tasked me to do.