Some students who won prizes as part of Money Smart Week are recommending saving money for such things as medical bills. Haven Elliott of Oakwood High School won first place and a $750 prize, for her essay as part of Money Smart Week activities. She told those attending a kick-off event at Danville Area Community College that studies have shown there is a link between physical and financial health. And Elliott says students need to be taught at an early age how to deal with money.
Kathy Sweedler, Money Smart Week Co-Chair for Vermilion County events, says there are numerous programs this week to help citizens stay money smart. ‘’We’re kicking-off on Saturday with a free ‘Community Shred’, so you can shred your documents that might have your Social Security number on them, for example. And then we will be having programs throughout the community for everyone from pre-school age, to teens and young adults, and seniors,’’ said Sweedler. ‘’A lot of those events will be at our libraries. So you can check out the schedule at the Danville Public Library or the Oakwood Public Library.’’
You can also check out the schedule of events at MoneySmartWeek.org. Money Smart Week brings together financial institutions, non-profits, libraries, universities and government agencies to offer free financial education classes.
Sweedler says there will be a variety of classes offered free locally. ‘’I think there’s someone for everybody,’’ said Sweedler. ‘’So it’s a really excellent opportunity for families to start having a conversation about money with their youth. So they can go to an event – and that will probably spur a lot of questions. And it’s a chance for parents to talk about their values and how that plays out with money. We also have things about consumer fraud and how to organize your financial paperwork. What can we throw away? What can we keep?’’
Many of the free Money Smart events are taking place at the Danville Public Library during the next week.
[This photo of a table decoration used during Thursday’s Money Smart Week kick-off at Danville Area Community College is actually filled with shredded money from the Federal Reserve in Chicago.]
