Grant Teaches Youth Money Management Skills
LFCS adds financial education to mentoring programs

10/01/05

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 01, 2005 - Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri has received a $9,267 Community Investment in Financial Education Grant from the United Way in partnership with Citigroup.

"This is an opportunity to educate today's youth about the world of personal finance," said Christine Reams, program director. "The Citigroup Financial Education Program is designed to provide financial literacy instruction in a comprehensive, exciting format to students."

In September, an age appropriate curriculum was introduced for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The curriculum is divided into four major components, including understanding income, money management, spending and credit, and savings and investing. Currently the program is being offered to students in LFCS' CALL and CHOICES mentoring programs.

The CALL program, Children Alive Learning Leadership, and its all-girls counterpart, CHOICES, are designed to help young people learn how to succeed. Both programs promote personal and social achievement through curriculum-based instruction and character-building activities. Currently there are 600 children enrolled in LFCS' mentoring programs at 12 sites in after-school and community settings in St. Louis city and county.

"Our mentoring programs are designed to provide students with an education that creates opportunities to build personal success," added Reams. "This unique opportunity to educate students in money management will give them yet another important tool to give them hope for a brighter future."

Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri is a non-profit, statewide social service organization providing counseling, adoption, crisis pregnancy assistance, day care and mentoring services to the community. With offices in St. Louis, Columbia, Cape Girardeau and Springfield, LFCS touches the lives of more than 22,000 individuals annually. The services provided by LFCS are open to everyone regardless of race, faith, national origin, gender or age. Although Lutheran based, more than 80 percent of families served are non-Lutheran. For more information, visit www.lfcsmo.org.

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Editor's note: Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri is located at: 8631 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. (63124). 401 West Boulevard North, Suite B, Columbia, Mo. (65203). 2911 Breckenridge, Cape Girardeau, Mo. (63701). 1400 S. Kimbrough, Springfield, Mo. (65807).

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