Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union Hopes for a TV Hit

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union has taken its financial literacy message into millions of homes in the Tri-State Area. The $1.8 billion credit union has teamed up with Children’s Media Project to create a series of weekly half-hour television programs on youth and money. The move is part of HVFCU’s major initiative to reach out to young adults through education, which launched in 2003. “Partnering with the Children’s Media Project is an excellent way for us to convey to youth how important it is to establish and maintain healthy financial habits,” said HVFCU Vice President of Marketing/Human Resources Paul Stull. “It is an innovative approach to reach out to young adults through a non-traditional way – other young adults- presenting information in a format that they can relate to.” Stull adds that viewers who are age 12 to 19 connect with the educational content programs because they are completely produced by young people. Credit union staffers serve as technical advisors ensuring content accuracy, while students furnish the creativity, write, shoot and edit the final product. Episodes air weekly to 3.8 million families throughout the Hudson Valley of New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut on Cablevision, RNN and Time Warner. HVFCU sponsors Cash Flow a segment on financial skills that appears on each episode. Cash Flow segments cover topics ranging from using credit cards responsibly and higher education, to budgeting and the hidden costs of buying a car. The Children’s Media Project is an arts and education organization dedicated to providing media literacy education and video production skills to at-risk youth in the Hudson Valley.