FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:     Susan Miller

                    317.816.9760 ext. 247

                    smiller@hickmanassociates.com

Greenwood Elementary Students Get on Board with Money

(Oct. 26, 2006, INDIANAPOLIS) — The nation’s first financial literacy classroom on wheels is visiting Greenwood’s Northeast Elementary Wednesday, Nov. 1, to Friday, Nov. 3.

The 40-foot-long, activity-packed “Kids Count on the Money Bus” was launched earlier this year by Networks Financial Institute. Northeast Elementary students will learn early money management skills through age-appropriate lessons on finance-related topics such as saving, spending, budgeting and charitable giving.

“The Money Bus gives students the chance to learn financial lessons that they may not have an opportunity to learn elsewhere or that their parents don’t feel comfortable teaching them,” said Elizabeth Coit, executive director of Networks Financial Institute. “Our research indicates that just 25 percent of parents feel comfortable talking with their children about money. The basic financial skills taught on the Money Bus can be used over the course of a person’s lifetime.”

Money Bus activities are specifically designed for students in grades 3 to 5, with lessons carefully mapped to Indiana state curriculum standards. Pre- and post-visit curriculum is included as part of the Money Bus experience. Teachers at Northeast Elementary can take the skills learned from the Money Bus back to the classroom and incorporate them into their lesson plans.

Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University was founded in 2003 with a grant from Lilly Endowment. NFI strives to facilitate broad, collaborative thinking, dialogue and progress in the evolving financial services marketplace, concentrating on the areas of education, outreach and research. Headquartered in Indianapolis with offices in Washington, D.C., and on the campus of Indiana State University, and with outreach internationally, NFI’s goal is to serve as a catalyst for change in the financial services industry.

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