PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Philadelphia Federal Credit Union (PFCU) today announced its 5th annual art competition will begin on April 1, 2016, to coincide with the first day of National Financial Literacy Month. PFCU’s “Picture of Success Art Contest” will be open to Philadelphia-area students in grades 3-5 and is designed to teach children how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. Each student will submit a work of art that depicts one of their financial goals, and winners of the contest will receive prizes for their entire classroom, along with a personal $100 savings account. The deadline to submit entries is April 30, 2016.
National Financial Literacy Month takes place each April, promoting the importance of financial literacy and establishing good financial practices. Since 2012, the art competition has prompted conversations between teachers, parents and young people about the importance of learning and practicing positive financial habits starting at an early age. Since the launch of the art contest, more than 50 Philadelphia-area schools have participated. As part of the program this year, PFCU’s Accredited Financial Counselor will visit local classrooms during the month of April to give hands-on lessons that will teach students how to create and maintain a budget, which is the foundation to achieving financial goals.
“Establishing a foundational knowledge about money can help achieve financial success later in life,” said Erin Ellis, Accredited Financial Counselor at PFCU. “Over the past five years, hundreds of parents, teachers and students have used this art contest as a way to talk about the importance of forming good financial habits. One of our goals at PFCU is to make sure children learn to have a positive relationship with money for years to come, and we’re excited to see what illustrations students dream up this year.”
All Philadelphia-area students in grades 3-5 are eligible to participate, regardless of having a membership at PFCU. Once all entries are submitted on April 30, 2016, a special committee will select ten finalists. On May 9, 2016, the artwork from the ten finalists will be posted on PFCU’s Facebook page for the public to vote on through May 23, 2016. Two winners will be announced on PFCU’s Facebook page on May 24, 2016.
“Philadelphia Federal Credit Union is devoted to instilling financial literacy in young people so they have every opportunity to become fiscally responsible adults,” said James McAneney, President/CEO of PFCU. “We designed this annual initiative to take place during National Financial Literacy Month, a time when the country as a whole is reminded of why maintaining healthy finances is important. We look forward to providing tools and lessons about budgeting that will help kids for many years to come.”
To enter PFCU’s “Picture of Success Art Contest,” read the complete rules and download the Official Contest Entry Form by visiting www.pfcu.com/artcontest. Entries must be mailed to PFCU’s Operations Center (Attention: Marketing Department, 12800 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154) or delivered to one of the 10 PFCU branches no later than April 30, 2016.
For more information or to hear about other work PFCU is doing in the Philadelphia community, please visit: http://bit.ly/1M9b2J6.
About Philadelphia Federal Credit Union
Founded in 1951, PFCU is a member-owned, not-for-profit, financial institution serving Philadelphia and Columbia County. PFCU is among the top five credit unions in the Greater Philadelphia area with ten branch locations, more than $987 million in assets, 111,000 members and more than 400 Select Employee Groups (SEGs). PFCU returns its profits to members in the form of higher dividend rates, lower loan rates, better services, and investment in the community. For more information, visit www.pfcu.com and connect with PFCU on Facebook and Twitter.