TruMark Financial®Credit Union’s Financial Jeopardy Game awarded $11, 400 in scholarships for ten area high school seniors
TREVOSE, PA (May 10, 2013) In an effort to place high school seniors on a proper financial path, TruMark Financial® awarded $11,400 in scholarships at its 6th Annual Financial Jeopardy Game on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, at The Buck Hotel, Feasterville, Pa.
Grand prize winner Tim Farley of Central Bucks East High School triumphed over nine other high school seniors to win a $5,000 scholarship. Farley will attend Penn State University in the fall. Second place winner Daniel Michelson of Radnor High School won a $3,000 scholarship and will attend Yale University; Robert Reid of Roman Catholic High School won a $2,000 scholarship and will attend Drexel University.
In addition to the top three prizes, TruMark Financial awarded each of the seven other contestants a $200 scholarship. These students represented the following high schools: Abington, Bensalem, Imhotep Institute Charter, Neshaminy, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Roman Catholic, and William Tennent.
The Financial Jeopardy Game, a spin-off of the long-running nightly quiz show that airs on 6ABC in Philadelphia, tested ten students’ knowledge in subjects relating to personal finance. The competition featured rounds of Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy, and Final Jeopardy.
Joseph Wambach, executive director at the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation, was the guest speaker and stressed the importance of financial literacy for young adults. He commended the credit union for its extensive financial literacy program and sponsoring such events as Financial Reality Fairs and Financial Jeopardy.
The Financial Jeopardy Game is an extension of the financial literacy programs TruMark Financial supports and promotes throughout the region. In an effort to provide students with sound financial principles that will serve them throughout a lifetime, TruMark Financial employees visit local high schools and conduct presentations on topics such as banking, establishing and maintaining good credit, budgeting, and investing. Applying sound financial knowledge to important decisions throughout life helps to reduce risk and build a solid foundation for the future.
The presentations provide third-party expertise to the students and complement the schools’ existing personal finance curricula. In addition, TruMark Financial operates student-run branches at William Tennent High School in Warminster, Pa., and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
At the conclusion of the evening, the credit union showed a short video which posed personal finance questions to college students. Over eighty-five percent of the students surveyed did not know their credit score; however over eighty-five percent knew Justin Bieber was dating Selena Gomez. The video clearly demonstrated there’s a lot more work to be done to educate young adults about personal finance and prepare them for today’s financial world.
About TruMark Financial
TruMark Financial is one of the strongest, most progressive credit unions in the nation, offering a full range of banking, investing, and insurance services to more than 96,000 members in Southeastern Pa.
Founded in 1939, TruMark Financial is headquartered in Trevose, Pa., and has approximately $1.4 billion in assets through its 15 branches, Call Center, and a suite of innovative online services. To learn more about TruMark Financial, visit www.trumarkonline.org or call 1-877-TRUMARK. Connect with TruMark Financial at facebook.com/trumarkonline and twitter.com/trumarkonline.