SANTA ROSA -- Redwood Credit Union will offer its sixth Financial Academy this March, a free high school financial literacy program that has graduated 172 students since it began in 2009.
The program is conducted in partnership with the Sonoma County Office of Education and Santa Rosa City Schools, following the High School Financial Planning Program developed by the National Endowment for Financial Education.
“Redwood Credit Union is passionately committed to financial education, and we strongly believe that money management skills learned at a young age are beneficial for a lifetime,” said Brett Martinez, president and CEO of the institution. “Ultimately, we hope to see financial management skills made a mandatory part of the state’s high school economics curriculum, and we are pleased to see that some schools are already looking at ways to incorporate financial literacy as a graduation requirement.”
The spring Financial Academy session will be held at Redwood Credit Union’s administrative offices, located at 3033 Cleaveland Ave. in Santa Rosa, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 20 and 21 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 22. Students enrolled in 11th or 12th grade in Sonoma County schools are eligible to attend, and registration for the limited number of spots is possible at www.redwoodcu.org/academy or by calling 707-576-5259.
The credit union also holds adult financial literacy programs throughout the year.
Redwood Credit Union reported 210,000 members and nearly $2 billion in assets at the end of 2011.
