Special graduation ceremony held for CNU Financial Literacy Project
News Release - November 28, 2007
Media Contact:
Emily L. Lucier
Press Secretary and Media Manager
emily.lucier@cnu.edu
(757) 594-8428
(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) - A special graduation ceremony was held at Christopher Newport University to celebrate the spirit and success of the University’s Financial Literacy Project, a community outreach program in which more than 57 CNU students volunteered to learn about financial topics such as credit card debt, saving, investing, entrepreneurship, business ethics and market economics, in order to teach these same topics to younger kids at the local Boys and Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula. Keynote speaker Dr. Mark Padilla, Provost of the University welcomed over 200 attendees to the event and all were recognized for their participation and achievement.
After receiving training this fall, the CNU students participating in the project were deployed to several Boys and Girls Clubs (Pinedale, Denbigh, Gloucester and Greater Hampton Roads) where approximately 450 boys and girls ages 5 through 18 attended the Financial Literacy Project programs and learned about everything from the value of good credit to starting your own business. Every child from the Boys and Girls Clubs received a personalized “Diploma” and a silver dollar to symbolize the value of the financial literary project lessons at the conclusion of the special graduation ceremony.
“Thank you so much for the opportunity to work with such outgoing and eager young students in the area,” said CNU Financial Literacy Project student volunteer Kristen Watrud. “I had such a wonderful time, and we all felt that each student benefitted from our being there to help them.” The success of the Financial Literacy Project is due to the enthusiastic volunteer spirit of CNU college students pictured above and to the organizational skill and energy of Gemma Kotula, Director of CNU Center for Economic Education, the Boys and Girls Clubs Director of Operations, Jerry Gammon and the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the VA Peninsula, Steve Kast. All are graduates of Christopher Newport University.
The Financial Literacy Project will continue in the Spring to educate and inform students of all ages across Hampton Roads emphasizing the importance of hands on learning, civic engagement, financial knowledge, ethics and understanding. Sponsors for this program include Stephens Financial Partners, LLC; VECTEC, SIFE, CNU Center for Economic Education and the Virginia Council for Economic Education. For more information on the Financial Literacy Project and how to get involved contact: gkotula@cnu.edu or 757- 594- 7184.
Christopher Newport University is a four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia. CNU enrolls 4,800 students in programs through its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Luter School of Business and offers great teaching, small classes and an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. Visit us at www.cnu.edu.