Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

« Older Entries

Northwest Georgia Credit Union Announces Scholarship Winners

May 16, 2012

Northwest Georgia Credit Union is proud to honor two outstanding high school seniors. Kristen Shiflett of Armuchee High School was chosen as the recipient of the Tom Nunn Memorial Scholarship and Jacey Boyd of Pepperell High School was chosen as the recipient of the Progressive Leader Scholarship.

Michelle Stricklin, President/CEO presents Tom Nunn Memorial Scholarship to Kristen Shiflett.

Kristen is the daughter of Richard and Lisa Shiflett. She involves herself in the community by offering her time to youth summer camps. She also participated in the Atlanta Half Marathon and served as the team leader for the National Honor Society’s October fundraising project. Shiflett is also involved in her school’s varsity tennis and cross country teams. Shiflett will apply her scholarship toward her education at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she plans to study industrial engineering. The Tom Nunn Memorial Scholarship was created in memory of Mr. Tom Nunn, a late Director of Northwest Georgia Credit Union. This scholarship honors a commitment to excellence in academics, service, and community involvement.

Michelle Stricklin, President/CEO presents Progressive Leader scholarship to Jacey Boyd.

Jacey Boyd, the recipient of the Progressive Leader Scholarship, is the daughter of John and Amy Boyd. She attends Pepperell High School and plans to attend the University of West Georgia in the fall to study human resource management and business administration. The Progressive Leadership Scholarship honors a student with leadership skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a passion for a cause of their own with the skills to make it happen. Boyd’s cause is organ donation and she is using her skills to meet needs in our community. As an active proponent of organ donation, Boyd worked to bring the non-profit organization, Donate to Life, to Rome. She and the group conducted an awareness campaign at her church and school.

Congratulations and best wishes to both of these exceptional students!

Tags:
Posted in Contests, Education, In the Community, Life at the Credit Union | Leave a Comment »

Summer Savings

April 30, 2012

Summer is right around the corner.  While this usually brings to mind thoughts of cold swimming pools on a sweltering day, vacations to the beach, and chasing the slushy truck down the street, it can also bring to mind higher power bills, gas prices, and daycare expenses.  Don’t give yourself a headache thinking about those higher bills because we’ve got some tips to help you save this summer.  Besides, if you’re like me, your headache is gonna come from drinking that slushy too fast!

Power bills can be brutal during the summer.  Here are some of my favorite tips for keeping your cooling costs down.

  • Set the thermostat to the best temperature. 78 degrees is the best setting during hot months.
  • Keep the filter clean.
  • Close blinds and drapes to keep the sun out.
  • Use ceiling fans or portable fans to keep the air circulating.
  • Turn the air off & open the windows if it’s a nice day outside!

Have you been cringing when filling up at the pump lately?  I know I have.  Gas is expensive, but you’ve got to get to work, get the kids to ballet lessons and ball practice, and maybe, just maybe, even sneak a vacation in somewhere.  While it may seem impossible, there are ways to save on gas this summer too.

  • Drive slower.  I’m not talking 15 in a 55 (unless you like getting honked at &/or having unsavory words thrown your way).  I’m talking that driving just 5 mph slower can reduce your fuel consumption by 7%.
  • Drop extra weight.  This is a no-brainer.  Are you driving around with heavy boxes in the trunk that you keep forgetting about?  Take ‘em out.  The heavier the car, the more gas you use.
  • Check your air filter (look familiar?).  Replacing your car’s dirty air filter can improve your mileage up to 10%.
  • Use cruise control if you have it.  Keeping at a constant speed means you’re accelerating less, which means you’re using less gas.

Don’t want to blow your budget on a vacation this summer, but still wanna have some fun?  Check out my last blog to get some ideas on how to save money.

Some additional ideas from one of our branch tellers, Amanda S.: First Friday concerts, Rome Braves Games, biking the Silver Comet Trail, and growing your own garden instead of buying all of your produce at the grocery store!

How do you cut costs during the summer?  Leave us a comment and let us know.  We’d love to hear your ideas!

Photo credit: www.foxbusiness.com

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Education, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »

Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft

April 23, 2012

No one wants to deal with the repercussions of having their identity stolen.  At best, it can cost time and hassle.  At worst, it can cost big bucks.  And, as Benjamin Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.  So what are the best ways to avoid identity theft in the first place?

According to the Federal Trade Commission, awareness is an effective weapon against many forms of identity theft. Be aware of how information is stolen and what you can do to protect yours, monitor your personal information to uncover any problems quickly, and know what to do when you suspect your identity has been stolen.

Being aware of how thieves steal information is the first step in protecting your identity.  Thieves can find account numbers and other information in a variety of ways. It could be as simple as stealing your wallet or going through your trash.  Make sure you shred all sensitive information, such as account statements and papers containing your social security number, and report any theft of your wallet or personal information immediately.

Skilled identity thieves might call you or send you an email pretending to be a representative from your financial institution or a company you do business with in an attempt to get you to willingly give them your personal information.  Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless you’ve initiated the contact and are sure you know who you’re dealing with.

Monitoring your personal information is a crucial step in protecting yourself.  Check bank accounts often and access your credit report at least once a year.  You can do this for free at www.annualcreditreport.com. Keeping an eye on things will give you a head start if you do discover something out of the ordinary, minimizing the damage a thief can do with your stolen information.

Finally, know what to do if you suspect your identity is stolen.  There are four specific steps you should take if you discover that your information has been stolen.  First, place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.  Second, close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Third, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Finally, file a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.

For more information about identity theft and how to protect yourself, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website at: http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

Photo credit: www.thedigeratilife.com

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Education | Leave a Comment »

Need $1,000 For College?

April 9, 2012

You may have already noticed that NWGACU loves education. We serve educators and we teach financial literacy whenever we get the chance, and one of our favorite ways to help in education is to offer scholarships to brand new college students. We know how hard it is to save for college, so we want to help where ever we can.

The Tom Nunn Memorial Scholarship is given in honor of late Director Mr. Tom Nunn, a gentleman committed to excellence in his work and service the Greater Rome community.

The Progressive Leader Scholarship was created in honor of the credit union movement, which was founded by innovative leaders who strongly believed that the banking industry was not serving people as it should. This scholarship honors the entrepreneurial, progressive student leader who believes in her or her own cause and does something about it.

These two $1,000 scholarships are awarded to two graduating high school seniors with plans to attend college in the fall. I can imagine that an extra $1,000 seems pretty exciting with all those college expenses already starting to roll in.

Download the 2012 Tom Nunn application package here.

Download the 2012 Progressive Leader application package here.

Applications are due Friday, April 20. Good luck!

Posted in Contests, Education | Leave a Comment »

Calling All Kids: First Annual Easter Egg Hunt

March 6, 2012

Our Little Sprouts and Acorn Clubbers are due for some fun at the credit union! We’ll be gathering kids (ages 0-12) on the front lawn of the Redmond Road Office for an Easter Egg Hunt in a few weeks.

Saturday, March 31

10:00 a.m.

Redmond Road Office

Mark your calendars now and join us for an awesome Easter Egg Hunt. There will be refreshments, eggs, prizes, eggs, fun, and plenty of eggs!

Posted in Education, Events | Leave a Comment »

Saving for Kids' College

January 30, 2012

Have you ever heard , “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”? Well Thomas Jefferson was a wise man. It turns out that I’m really good at putting things off. I’d like to ask him how he saved for his kids college education; I could probably google that if I wanted to—no, that would be procrastinating again. It turns out that I’m really good at procrastinating; but not so good at saving for college. Just ask my 21 year old who has put herself through college so far, thanks to the HOPE scholarship and grandparents who pay for good grades!

It just seemed like her college years were always so far away and that I had so much time ahead of me to save up and put money aside. But then life happens and cars break down, second babies are born, and roofs leak. Something always seems to absorb the money that you are going to put in the “official college account” that month and before you know it that 2- year-old that you had another 16 years to save for is now sending in applications to the University of “insert school of your choice” and you start having anxiety attacks on a regular basis because you don’t know how you are going to pay for it let alone how you are going to tell her you can’t pay for it and she’s crying and you’re crying and….now take a deep breath.

I have gotten lucky with my first born. She is a really good student and has qualified for the HOPE scholarship for as long as it is around. She chose to stay at home to get her education so we have had very little out of pocket expense so far. My second child, who is 4 now, may not have HOPE to depend on. I have to be more prepared for him so I’ve started looking around to see what I can do. I’ve listened to Clark Howard on so many other topics I thought I’d check into what he suggests on college saving. If you haven’t already checked out his site http://www.clarkhoward.com I recommend it. He’s so savvy on so many topics but in an effort not to procrastinate by reading off topic, I searched for “college saving” and found lots of articles and videos on the 529 Accounts. These are account that are State sponsored that you can put money into tax free and then spend it on qualified education expenses tax fee. Sounds like a winner to me. Check out this article and see for yourself. Whether you put money aside like this or use your payroll direct deposit to make a specific deposit to an account specified for little Susie’s college each week—we have to start doing something and we have to start now. Don’t put it off like I did, it’s hard enough to see your baby go off to school, don’t make it harder by not having the money to pay for it.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Education, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »

Is it secure when I log in to Online Banking?

September 1, 2011

Online Banking CartoonA few days ago, some members raised a valid concern, so I thought I might address it (blog-style!)…just in case you may have had the same concern too. (Warning: this is mildly techy.)

Our conscientious members noticed that while on our website that the URL reads http:// while browsing the website, then https:// after logging into Online Banking. However, you enter your Online Banking log in information on the http:// side of the website. Does this mean that your log in information is unprotected, thus making you susceptible to someone else logging into your account?

Answer: Not at all. Here’s how it works:

1. You enter your log in credentials, which gets passed over to this page:  https://homebanking.smartsourcesolutions.org/nwgeorgia/go.aspx . You’ll notice that this page has the necessary SSL Certificate, as evidenced by the https://

2.  This page lives on the same server as our main website, so the traffic between the pages never leaves the server.

3. Then, we pass the information on to our Online Banking server, which also has an SSL certificate.

This means that the log in process does in fact take place securely, and it is no less secure than the main website having its own SSL certificate. It’s really important to us that your identity and accounts stays protected and secure. Heck, we’re members too, and we want our own information protected too! It’s a big scary world out there, but with proper caution, we can really enjoy the convenience of managing our money online. We’re committed to keeping up that necessary attentiveness.

If you ever have any concerns, we’re always ready to listen, provide an answer, and if needed, fix the problem.

Posted in Education | Leave a Comment »

Learning Financials in the Classroom

August 4, 2011

Now that almost every student in Rome is back to school and settling in their first week of class, it’s time to start thinking about the next few months. Our financial literacy program, learn.grow., is not only for kids at the credit union but also for the schools in the community. Learn.grow. in the classroom is a series of classroom lessons on various topics that form the foundation for a lifetime of financial success. Here’s the short version of it: a lesson taught by a trained credit union staff member will go into a teacher’s classroom and teach a financial lesson for any age group (K-12) for absolutely FREE!

Teachers and parents: here’s your chance to deepen the knowledge of your student’s financial education straight from the people who know it best. Check it out here!

Posted in Better than a Bank, Education, In the Community | Leave a Comment »

Brown Bag Luncheon 2011

August 1, 2011

Adorable Centerpieces

On Friday, July 29th NWGACU hosted the annual Brown Bag Luncheon held for new educators in the Rome City and Floyd County areas. It was a successful event with Dr. Mike Buck, Chief Academic Officer for the Georgia Department of Education, as our keynote speaker and over 25 door prizes donated from local businesses! There were about 150 people in attendance including principals, administration, school board members, and of course, new teachers. Lunch was provided by the talented duo, Barbara and Ellen, the owners of Two Can Do Catering.

Dr. Mike Buck, photo taken by Daniel Bell of RN-T.

After Dr. Buck spoke, the new teachers as well as the attendees were filled with happy thoughts about the first day of school and an enlightened view about the future of education. The way he spoke about teachers having an effect on almost every child’s life even made me want to become a teacher for a split second. We were so fortunate to host this event this year, as last year we were not able to hold the Brown Bag Luncheon due to the low number of new hires. We hope this is a sign of what is to come of the education field for the coming years.

Posted in Education, Events, In the Community | Leave a Comment »

Head Indoors for Craft Time

July 12, 2011

When there’s a chance you may sweat just from standing or sitting outside because of the heat, then you know there’s no way you’re taking the kids to the pool today. So how can you lure your kids away from the TV while staying inside with the AC on?

Try this fun financial craft today!

You’ll need:

  • 3 Jars or 3 Tupperware containers per child
  • Labels
  • Markers
  • Stickers

Separate the 3 jars and label each with either Save, Spend, or Share. Then let your child decorate the jars or containers with fun stickers of their choosing. During the craft be sure to explain each jar’s purpose. The child will have to split up their money between saving it, spending it, or sharing it. Explain why saving is a good idea in case of emergencies or for future needs. Explain why spending money needs a goal in order to stay within a budget. Explain what sharing their money can mean to other people, for example donating money to a good cause. Help them decide what would be best for their money. You’ll always want goals with your money and make sure to help them set those goals.

Although this craft may not keep them entertained for the entire day, it’s a great lesson for children to learn. Be sure to encourage them to keep using their jars months after they’ve made them.

50 Money-Saving Tips in 50 Days –

ShoppingTipNo. 21: Set a dollar limit before going shopping. When buying cars, electronics, clothes, household items, or groceries, ser a dollar limit and stick to it.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Education | Leave a Comment »

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.