Chase grant awarded

TUESDAY, SEP 7, 2010

$200,000 Grant from Chase Will Support The Family Financial Fitness Program

Continuing its innovative approach to financial literacy, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central New York announced today that it has received a grant from Chase Card Services, the credit card division of JPMorgan Chase & Co., to help support its Family Financial Fitness Program.

"We are very grateful to Chase for the opportunity to provide this one-of-a-kind program to families in Central New York and surrounding areas. Parents lay the cornerstone of a child's future financial behavior by modeling their own financial management skills. Meeting the challenges of a credit-driven society and a changing economy can be a daunting task, and this program is designed to support parents so that they can acquire and pass down to their children sound money management skills," said MaryAnn Stark, President and CEO of Consumer Credit Counseling Service.

This grant was made possible through Chase's Financial Literacy Grant Program, which is in its fifth year and has awarded more than $5 million to select community organizations throughout the United States including credit counseling agencies and consumer finance research groups.

The Family Financial Fitness Program provides incentives for parents of children in grades K through 8 to learn and practice financial literacy skills customized for their individual family situations over a three year period. They will meet with CCCS staff for help and support, and will complete a financial literacy course called Credit When Credit is Due. Their children will enroll in an exciting, interactive learning program entitled The Centsables, which is offered by CCCS partners in this program, Norm Hill Entertainment, Ltd. This multi-media initiative provides online lessons, games and entertainment designed to teach children about money and financial literacy. The children will also receive comic books and "factivity" books to use at home, and each family will receive a Centsables board game to play together.

Ms. Stark states, "This pilot program, which combines relevant education and skill-building for the entire family, is completely new and exciting. We are so proud to be able to bring it to families in our 41 county service area."