Neighbors is proud to continue a long-standing relationship with Walker High School by opening up a new branch within the school. The branch is located in the newly constructed portion of the school and is now open to the public as a full-service branch.
Neighbors formerly had a branch located in the older section of campus but closed it over summer break while the new portion of the high school was under construction.
This branch will be managed by Neighbors employees and will be staffed by Walker High School students. The branch features all of the loan and banking services of a regular Neighbors branch. It also features the Live Teller system. Neighbors plans to have the Live Teller unit function as an ATM after hours in the near future.
Normal business hours will be Monday-Friday 9-11 a.m. and 12-5p.m.
“Not only will this be a new full-service branch for our members to use, but it will also provide an incredible learning opportunity for the students of Walker High School,” Neighbors President and CEO Steve Webb said. “The student workers will be learning important interpersonal skills that will prepare them for job opportunities in the future.”
The branch also serves as a financial literacy center for all of the students of Walker High School.
The branch will be equipped with an iPad, an iPhone and a touchscreen monitor for students to access financial literacy content and online banking.
“This is a great opportunity for our students,” Walker High School Principal Jason St. Pierre said. “I would like to thank Neighbors for providing this opportunity.”
This branch is part of the Neighbors Mascot Program. The Mascot Program is an initiative Neighbors started to give back to local schools and consists of three major components.
The Neighbors Mascot Checking Program provides specialized checking accounts to participating schools in the Greater Baton Rouge area. The checking account comes with a customized debit card branded with the school’s mascot and gives money back to the school for each debit card swipe.
The Mascot Checking Program raised $21,383 last school year including $10,120 that went to Walker High School.
Each Mascot school is also eligible to participate in the Neighbors Way Tuition Assistance Award program. This scholarship program allows each school in the Mascot Program to annually select one graduating student to receive a scholarship of at least $1,000.
Last year, Neighbors awarded $15,000 in scholarships to graduating students, including Lauren Meades of Walker High School who received the second highest award of $3,000.
In addition to the financial contributions, Neighbors provides financial literacy education to the students of each school. This includes the Financial Literacy Facilities at Walker High School and Denham Springs High School. Our financial literacy coordinator also conducts financial literacy courses at every Mascot School throughout the year.
