GREENVILLE -Preferred Federal Credit Union has selected one student to participate in its 'Financially Made' program, a financial education/savings program aimed at turning teens age 13 to 17 into financially-savy consumers.
The winner of the contest was 15-year-old Casey Corwin of Greenville. She is currently a sophomore at Greenville High School.
The program combines matching deposits with financial education in hopes of encouraging students to begin and continue practicing good financial habits.
"The winner demonstrated a strong desire to save and learn more about personal finance," said Preferred Federal Credit Union Assistant Manager Danna Dingman. "We're looking forward to educating Casey about saving, credit, budgeting and goal setting and helping her attain her short-term goal with matching deposits of up to $250."
The World War II history buff plans on using the money to go to Washington D.C. with her friends. She most looks forward to seeing the memorials to all the veterans.
Corwin didn't think she had a chance at winning the contest.
"I was extremely surprised," she said. "I thought there would be a lot more entries. I felt I had a very slim chance."
Over the course of the next several weeks, Corwin will meet with a budget counseler to map out a savings plan to obtain her short-term goal and attend a financial literacy course that will cover savings, credit, budgeting and goal setting. In return, Preferred Federal Credit Union will establish a savings account for Corwin and provide matching deposits of up to $250.
The savings phase of the 'Financially Made' program will officially begin on Jan. 14.
"I would like to thank them for this opportunity," Corwin said. "This means a lot to me."
