Neighbors FCU Contributes $53,600 to Local Schools Through Mascot Checking Program

BATON ROUGE, LA — Neighbors contributed a combined $53,599.55 to 13 participating schools during the 2018-2019 school year. The funds came from NFCU’s Mascot Checking Program. The Mascot Checking Program invites schools within the Greater Baton Rouge area to participate by allowing Neighbors to create a custom checking account for the school.

These contributions more than doubled the $21,383 contributed during the previous school year. Mascot Schools have now earned a total of $97,477 since the Mascot Checking program launched in 2014. Walker High School earned the most contributions from the Mascot Checking Program this year with $12,873 followed by Denham Springs High School with $9,806 and McKinley with $9,459.

These checking accounts come with a school-branded debit card and Neighbors contributes money to the school for each debit card swipe. After the school has 100 active Mascot Checking accounts, the school earns ten cents per swipe, and the schools earn five cents per swipe before the first 100 active accounts.

“This program continues to see tremendous growth, and we are thrilled to provide a consistent revenue stream for our Mascot Schools,” Neighbors President and CEO Steve Webb said.

In addition to receiving contributions generated from the checking account program, the participating schools are invited to annually select a graduating student to receive a scholarship from the Neighbors Capital Area Foundation. Thus far, the foundation has awarded $45,000 in scholarships.

The third and final component of the Mascot Program is providing complimentary financial education to the students. Neighbors FCU’s financial literacy coordinator makes regular appearances to each school, and Neighbors provides financial literacy curriculum to the schools free of charge. Neighbors also has financial literacy centers at Walker High School and Denham Springs High School.

This school year, Neighbors introduced two new schools to the Mascot Program. Parkview Baptist School and The Dunham School will join Baker High School, Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Broadmoor High School, Central High School, Denham Springs High School, Lee High School, Live Oak High School, McKinley High School, Port Allen High School, Scotlandville High School, Southern University Laboratory School, Walker High School and Woodlawn High School.

You can learn more about Neighbors Mascot Checking Program at
https://www.neighborsfcu.org/personal/checking-account/mascot-checking/.

Neighbors Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative operating as an association dedicated to "people helping people.” A handful of educators started Baton Rouge Teachers in 1954 with a shoebox, a couple hundred dollars and the goal of making financial services available to school system employees in our area.