Hudson Valley FCU Plugs into Youth for Educational Campaign

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Next time your credit union is looking to connect with younger members why not team up with them to create educational campaigns? That is exactly what Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union did when it opted to launch a new youth initiative designed to provide financial education to local high school and college age individuals. The $1.4 billion credit union has partnered with a group of students in the Communications Department at Dutchess Community College to create an educational video for young adults on how to buy a car. According to HVFCU Marketing Director Paul Stull, once students Darien Milera-Rivera, Tom Henry and Maureen Meenagh had some direction from HVFCU on subject matter they took over the project. The three students wrote the script, worked with Poughkeepsie Nissan and HVFCU to film on site, and produced and edited the video. One student even wrote, performed and recorded the background music. “It was such a pleasure to work with these students,” said Stull. “Using creativity and hard work they created a video that is both entertaining and informative that our younger members really responded to.” The video debuted at HVFCU’s free car buying seminar and provides young adults with guidelines on where to research a car’s reliability and safety, insurance options and financing. In addition, the credit union has introduced a free guide that provides young adults with information on how to establish good credit and achieve financial independence. HVFCU has posted the guide with other educational links on its Web site. [email protected]