Hendersonville, NC Mountain Credit Union in Waynesville, NC recently pledged funds to be used to help renovate the shared space at West Henderson High School currently used for Western North Carolinas first ever Student Run, In-School Credit Union branch. This partnership with Henderson County Public Schools gives students the opportunity to gain real-life experience and develop hands on cash handling and career skills as well as run their branch and teach fellow students and teachers how to manage their accounts and finances.
The existing space for the In-School Credit Union branch is shared with the West Henderson Athletic Booster Club which uses the area for concessions during sports events such as basketball, wrestling and volleyball. The need for renovations was conveyed to Credit Union representatives when the Falcons First Branch of Mountain Credit Union was first opened in February 2015. Renovations have already begun and should be completed relatively quickly. Future plans are also in the works to add the technology needed to make the student run branch operate as similarly as possible to the Credit Unions seven traditional branch locations.
"When the Athletic Booster Club representatives at West shared with us that there was a need to renovate this space, it only seemed natural to step in and provide some of the funding necessary," said Patty Idol, President / CEO of Mountain Credit Union. Chris Angel, Mountain Credit Unions Business Development Director added, "We appreciate the fact that West Hendersons Athletics Club is allowing us to share their space and we are happy to be able to help with making it more functional for both of our needs."
Educational Objectives of an In-School Branch
- To create an educational environment in which young people will have hands-on experience in a financial setting.
- To increase the knowledge of todays youth regarding money management and credit score management (establish, manage and protect their credit scores) through the use of presentations on savings, budgets, establishing credit and other financial management topics.
- To create a new generation of savers by showing the importance of setting realistic savings goals and offering age appropriate savings programs.
- To provide a supplement to current math, computer and social skills through experiences learned while working as a volunteer in the school credit union branch.
- To teach the student volunteers life-long employment skills such as organization, human relations, cash handling and teamwork.
- To introduce the importance of building a relationship with a financial institution.
- To create an experience that reinforces a strong work ethic and financial responsibility.
The Falcons First Branch of Mountain Credit Union at West Henderson High School is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during lunch periods. This branch also follows the posted school calendar and is not open during times of exams, teacher workdays or in cases of school closure due to inclement weather.
Students and faculty can open accounts and make deposits & withdrawals during the posted hours of operation. The student volunteers are available for transactions and Mountain Credit Union liaisons are constantly available for training and to make certain that accuracy and confidentiality are maintained.
For more information about Mountain Credit Unions Student-Run Credit Union program, please contact Chris Angel at 828-667-7245 x 2707 or email
marketing@mountaincu.org
Mountain Credit Union currently has seven branch offices located throughout Western North Carolina and serves anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison and Swain Counties of North Carolina. For more information, please visit
www.mountaincu.org
Pictured L to R: Jennifer Browning, West Henderson Accounting Teacher; Amy Woody, Mountain Credit Union Executive Vice President; Shannon Auten, West Henderson Principal; Chris Angel, Mountain Credit Union Business Development Director; Dean Jones, West Henderson Principal (Retired); Patty Idol, Mountain Credit Union President / CEO; Dr. Wendy Edney, Henderson County Public Schools Career & Technical Education Director
