Kids Bank

Four years ago, our team developed a program called Kids Bank for the Lamoni fifth graders. The program is designed to teach students about basic banking concepts, focusing on the importance of saving. After 5 lessons in the classroom, students take a field trip to Bank of the West where they experience basic banking processes. With parent permission, students have also had the opportunity to open their own savings account at either Bank of the West or American State Bank with $10 from GU SIFE and $10 from the bank.

Starting last year, we partnered with Graceland Admissions and the Ash Family Foundation to give students a $400 Graceland scholarship. The students can receive this scholarship in one of two ways; they can open a new savings account at any of the local banks who decide to participate in this program, or if they have an existing account, they are asked to write a 200-word essay describing the importance of savings.

This year we will have attend Lamoni and Leon working in 3 classrooms and 4 banks. We hope to continues our efforts in other surrounding communities. 2010 Members:

Laura Ferguson--Kaylee Miller
Neal Fogarty-- Ali Wildermuth-- Jenna Golden
Spencer Bergman-- Trent Ranney-- Matt Graybill