DAYTON, Ohio — The Dayton Firefighters Federal Credit Union is giving a leg up to at-risk teens.
The credit union is teaching financial education using National Endowment for Financial Education materials as part of Building Bridges.
"Building Bridges" is a work therapy program for teenagers that have been unsuccessful with more traditional types of rehabilitation through the court system.
After Dayton Firefighters FCU "adopted" kids for Christmas last year, Shannon O'Neill, operations/marketing manager thought there was an opportunity to do more.
Utilizing NEFE's free financial education materials, the credit union offered to teach the teens the tools for successful money management. The plan was to teach the staff along with a group of teens, the seven-unit course so the counselors could continue to teach all the kids in the program.
According to O'Neil, given the easy instructor manual that accompanies the materials, staffers at "Building Bridges" will be able to provide their kids with financial education. The NEFE program was developed to teach in a classroom setting, but can be used in many other ways.
"If even a little sinks in, it will be worth it," said O'Neill. "We hope these kids will feel like they can turn to the credit union in the future for sound financial advice. "
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