MCCU Holds Financial Reality Fairs

As part of Marshall Community Credit Union’s financial education initiative, Financial Reality Fairs were recently held at Marshall High School on Jan. 14, as well at Marshall Middle School on Jan. 24.

During the Fairs, 7-12th grade students participated in this “hands on” budgeting experience to learn more about personal financial management in a one-day “real world” environment. In preparation for the Reality Fair, Andrea Tucker, MCCU’s Financial Education Coordinator, visited classrooms at both MHS and MMS to teach some basic money management skills, including the importance of a good credit score.

The day of the event, students were provided with an in-depth budgeting sheet. This “real-world” exercise had each student budget his or her money wisely to make ends meet for one month. Students were required to find a place to live, obtain transportation, and pay for food and other essentials, as they visited booths to obtains goods and service needed in everyday life. After visiting all of the booths, students balanced their budgets and reviewed their worksheets with a financial counselor.

“The Financial Reality Fair was a great way for the students to apply all the information learned in class," said Nicole Harrington, Marshall High School teacher. “The Reality Fair is an excellent way for my students to experience what it’s like as an adult,” said Steven DeLong, Marshall Middle School teacher.

“The Fair is a perfect example of how credit unions work in their communities to teach financial literacy to students. The students had the opportunity to work through real budget scenarios and make some tough decisions. I was impressed with how financially savvy some of them were,” said MCCU’s Financial Education Coordinator, Andrea Tucker.

The Financial Reality Fair is an all-in-one kit made available from the Michigan Credit Union Foundation (MCUF) and was coordinated by MCCU and MPS teachers. MCUF works with cooperative donations to support credit union financial education and community reinvestment initiatives. Learn more at MCUF.mcul.org.