Basking Ridge & Somerset, N.J.� Employees of
Affinity Federal Credit Union�recently hosted a celebratory graduation dinner for students from Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children and Bonnie Brae as they completed their "Financial Arts" curriculum, a series of custom financial literacy classes provided by the Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity corporation.
The graduation dinner was held at Affinitys headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ.�� Each student made a poster representing some of the financial education themes or ideas they learned throughout the program.� Affinity volunteers then judged the entries and presented a prize to the top three winners.��Jamierose Wilson, a student from Somerset Home, took first place and spoke at the graduation.� She shared with the audience the highlights of her class: "I learned what a credit score was and how important it is for my future.� Before taking this class, I was unaware that my credit score would play a role in applying for a job in the near future or that checking my credit score could negatively affect it."
Wilson also noted that the class taught her the difference between buying and financing a car, and the benefits of each. Lastly, she learned about debit cards and their conveniences as well as some of the hidden charges you can face when using them.� According to Beth Degnan, executive director of the Affinity Foundation, "Its our goal to walk the dollars, so whenever we support an organization financially, we also like to take it a step further and really try to be part of what theyre doing.� In this case, our employees volunteered to teach a weekly class on financial literacy, and they really enjoyed working with the students."
The Affinity Foundation supports a number of local community groups including: Matheny Medical and Educational Center; the Midland School; Community Hope, Inc.; Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children; Bonnie Brae; Saint Clares Hospital; St. Peters Healthcare System; Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs; Adult Day Center of Somerset County; Middle Earth, and the Raritan Valley Community College Foundation, in addition to providing an annual scholarship program for members.
