Local scouts learn finances
A Shepherdstown Girl Scout troop boarded the bus to financial literacy during a countywide workshop organized in cooperation with BB&T Bank.
Held last Sunday at Shepherdstown Elementary school, the local troop was joined by members of troops from Charles Town, Ranson and Harpers Ferry to learn about concepts like budgeting and saving.
A troop leader for Shepherdstown’s fifth grade juniors and sixth grade cadets, Cecilia Morisack organized the event as an opportunity for the scouts to earn their ‘junior savvy shopper,’ badge, and ‘cadet budgeting’ badge.
Morisack said she decided to start talking to local banks to see if any offered a financial literacy program that could be of use to the group.
“I just happened to walk into BB&T …It’s just taken off from there.” she said.
Speaking to Tammy Powell, who was filling in at the Shepherdstown branch office, Morisack said the relationship banker immediately volunteered to facilitate the daylong event.
As Powell explained, the financial literacy program is a corporate wide event now taking root around the local area.
“Even though we’re a large corporation, we’re still a community bank,” she said.
Powell said the outreach program provided computers outfitted with age-appropriate games designed to take scouts through the budgeting process.
“They caught on very quickly,” she said.
Powell said she thought the event was successful in really giving the students who participated an opportunity to learn about financial concepts in an interactive environment.
“I think that overall it went very very well because the girls asked questions,” she said.
Michelle Ballard, a troop leader from Harpers Ferry said she thought the event was a good opportunity for the girls to learn skills that extend beyond scouting.
“I thought it would be really good for them to learn about finances and budgeting as they’re getting older,” she said.
“It’s really just a good life skill,” she said
Morisack said the financial literacy workshop is just one of many community events the scouts participate in.
Next, the group will begin working toward their ‘bronze award.’
Powell said she looks forward to hosting more BB&T Financial Literacy workshops.
“We had an awesome time,” she said.
To find out more about the banks public outreach programs search ‘financial literacy,’ at BB&T’s homepage, www.BBT.com.