Oregon State Credit Union Recognized for Youth Financial Education

Oregon State Credit Union has received a silver level Youth Desjardins award from the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) for their financial education success. The Northwest Credit Union Association (NWCUA)–a regional affiliate of CUNA–announced the award during a virtual awards ceremony Dec. 2.

“Financial education is a cornerstone at Oregon State Credit Union,” said Christine Ruzzi, NWCUA’s assistant vice president, Enterprise Engagement Resources. “Last year, the team’s efforts reached more than 9,000 people, helping them to better understand how to manage their finances.”

The Youth Desjardins award recognizes the credit union for making financial education more broadly available in schools through its “Train the Trainer” program, which helps teachers present financial basics in their classrooms. The credit union also expanded its traveling Financial Reality Fair program for students and increased the library of “grab-and-go” resources.

“In our current environment, being financially wise is critical to individual success,” said Oregon State Credit Union President/CEO Rick Hein. “We are thrilled to sponsor resources so more young people can have the opportunity to learn to thrive financially.”

The Alphonse Desjardins award is named for one of the credit union movement’s pioneers. Desjardins founded the first credit unions in the United States and Canada, and pioneered youth savings clubs and credit union branches in schools.

Oregon State Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit credit union. Membership is open to anyone who lives or works in 24 western and central Oregon counties. Additional information about Oregon State Credit Union is available at oregonstatecu.com.