Several Recognition Awards will be presented to New York credit unions during EXCEL 19, the New York Credit Union Association’s Annual Meeting & Convention. Today’s featured award is the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award, which recognizes credit unions that demonstrate a significant commitment to youth financial education.

This year’s first-place winners include CORE FCU and ServU FCU.

CORE FCU is receiving the award in the category for credit unions with $50 million – $250 million in assets. CORE FCU has an established, well-developed student financial literacy program, but the credit union continued to add unique new initiatives last year as the program grew and developed. In 2018, the credit union expanded its highly regarded and effective youth financial literacy program by enhancing their peer-mentoring and creative student learning efforts; bringing new technology to their classroom lessons; adding new gamification to their initiatives; and facilitating a new student-taught finance initiative.

ServU FCU is receiving the award in the category for credit unions with $250 million – $1 billion in assets. The credit union works with approximately 23 school districts on a regular basis, providing guest speakers, Mad City Money simulations and student-run branch opportunities. In 2018, ServU FCU provided lessons to 40 individual classes and were able to educate nearly 900 students. The credit union’s new student-run branch, comprised of juniors and seniors, were trained to become tellers, marketers and promoters of the credit unions, and are now sharing their financial literacy skills with students in the district’s elementary school. ServU FCU has plans to open additional student-run branches this year.