Independent Banker - May 2019 - 73

Next: A one-stop compliance resource for members
" Banzai's philosophy is to educate and inspire students to
take their future into their own hands by developing positive
money and financial habits. This is a philosophy CCB agrees
with, " says Tari McClung, marketing and public relations
director with the community bank.
CCB's sponsorship provides free access to the Banzai curriculum
to any teacher at the public high schools in its service
area, which includes Andalusia and Opp in Alabama,
and Niceville and Crestview in Florida.
The curriculum can be downloaded and used in classroom
sessions, or students can work through the lessons on
a self-guided basis. Students take quizzes before and after
each lesson to assess their learning.
The interactive lessons work similarly to choose-yourown-adventure
books. Students are given a virtual checking
account and a credit card. They choose a goal, such as saving
$2,000 for college, and then every transaction is logged.
Along the way to their goal, students encounter real-world
challenges: the pipes burst or the car needs a set of new tires.
Lauren Maynor, a career preparation teacher at Andalusia
High School, says the curriculum provides a wake-up call
for students. " Life is way more expensive than I thought, "
exclaimed a student recently, she says. Another student
commented, " It's a lot more difficult to save up when you
don't have plans and budgets for the things you might need. "
Maynor says she's amused at how surprised students are
by all that is involved in managing their finances. " They
often have had no idea, " she says. " This gives them a little
glimpse into paying bills and taking responsibility. I think
it's really great. "
Maynor adds that her students clearly enjoy learning to
play the " game " of financial literacy. Many will ask to retake
the lessons if they don't achieve their goal the first time.
In addition to providing access to the online content, CCB
included activity kits for several participating schools that
include checks and deposit slips. " Students are not only
reading and seeing demos, " McClung says. " They have the
real-world experience of writing a check out, balancing their
account and keeping the register. "
While Banzai offers curricula for elementary through high
school levels, CCB chose to focus on high school students.
" We thought that was the age group that would benefit the
most from it, " McClung explains. " That's the age that kids
are starting to get jobs and cars, and we felt it was the best
age to make a real impact. "
McClung points out that students of that age will soon
be coping with increased responsibility and temptation,
including from credit card companies. " We want them to
make wise decisions when the credit card offers start coming
in the mail when they graduate, " she says. " We want
them to think when they decide to purchase that new car
[and be] prepared for all the unexpected expenses that can
arise with a purchase like that. And we especially want to
teach them to save money, so they are ready for whatever
the future holds. "
CCB's involvement with Banzai builds on earlier educational
initiatives, such as the Kids Saver Club that the community
bank started in 1995 to show youngsters the benefits
of saving their money. " Offering Banzai is another tool to
help the kids be prepared for the future and give back to
our community, " Lane concludes. " It is an investment in the
children in our communities, and we at CCB look forward to
seeing the benefits. "
Judith Sears is a writer in Colorado.
Building an educational resource
CCB Community Bank has made customer
education a hallmark of its community involvement.
The bank's website, bankccb.com, features an
education center with resources for customers.
" Education is important at any age, " says Tari
McClung, marketing and public relations director.
" We want our customers to feel comfortable in
regard to all of their financial decisions. This gives
them a centralized place to go if they want to
learn more about how to buy their first home, how
to save for retirement or to understand financial
terminology. "
The education center
is organized into five
categories: personal
financial insights,
business financial
insights, home loan
insights, product
demos and financial
calculators. Each
features videos and other content. CCB reviews the
site quarterly to make sure it's timely and relevant.
The community bank also posts educational
clips on social media sites. McClung notes that
CCB receives the most feedback from customers
when new information has been shared on those
platforms. " By utilizing all media avenues, we
hope to always be able to reach our customers
with information they need, " she says.
independentbanker.org Q 73
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Independent Banker - May 2019

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