ST. HELENS, Ore., May 5, 2017: To help wrap up the 2016-2017 school year, St. Helens Community Credit Union hosted a series of Financial Reality Fairs at Scappoose, St. Helens, and Rainier High Schools.
The events gave hundreds of local high school seniors the chance to experience real life finances in a safe environment.
Hosted and staffed by the credit union, each of the Financial Reality Fairs give students a pretend career and base salary. The students are then challenged to create a budget that includes rent, food, insurance, entertainment, and their wireless phone. Students learn about different budget items at special booths, such as transportation, vacations, clothing, and more.
“Students quickly understand that a paycheck won’t go far when it’s not carefully budgeted,” stated St. Helens Community President and CEO, Brooke Van Vleet. “We are proud to be part of the Financial Reality Fairs at our local high schools each year. They are great events, teaching our seniors a lot about the real world.”