Philadelphia, PA, June 3, 2016 – Philadelphia Federal Credit Union (PFCU) today announced the winners of its 5th annual art competition, designed to teach 3rd-grade through 5th-grade students how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. This year's winners of PFCU's "Picture of Success Art Contest" were Abbey Merrigan, a 5th-grader, and Allyson Mayer, a 3rd grader, both from Our Lady of Calvary School. Both winners received a surprise visit from PFCU's mascot, Moola Moola, who came to deliver a personal $100 PFCU savings account and a pizza party for their classrooms.
"Developing a healthy relationship with money at an early age can contribute to financial success later in life," said Erin Ellis, Accredited Financial Counselor at PFCU. "Over the past five years, this art contest has served as a great way for parents and teachers to have conversations with their kids about how to envision their dreams and develop the financial skills to make them a reality. We're impressed with the hundreds of talented young artists that participated and look forward to seeing their concepts come to life again next year."
More than a dozen schools in the Philadelphia area participated in the art contest this year, which took place during National Financial Literacy Month in April. Hundreds of students submitted a work of art depicting their financial goals.
A special committee was tasked with selecting 10 finalists who, in addition to Merrigan and Mayer, included:
- Cindy Chen, 3rd grade, Our Lady of Port Richmond
- Isaiah Rojas, 5th grade, Holy Innocents School
- Jenny Nguyen, 4th grade, Holy Innocents School
- Katora Mera, 3rd grade, St. Francis De Sales School
- Kenny Nguyen, 5th grade, Holy Innocents School
- Max Avila, 4th grade, Our Lady of Hope
- Natalia Bieszczad, 4th grade, Our Lady of Port Richmond
- Sophia Malinski, 4th grade, Blessed Trinity Catholic School
Thousands of votes were cast through the credit union's Facebook Page, ultimately naming Merrigan and Mayer this year's winners.
Philadelphia-area schools interested in participating in PFCU's "Picture of Success Art Contest" or having PFCU's Financial Educator give presentations to students about good financial habits during the 2016-2017 academic year are encouraged to email PFCU at artcontest@PFCU.com to request information.
About Philadelphia Federal Credit Union
Founded in 1951, PFCU is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution serving Philadelphia and Columbia County. PFCU is among the top five credit unions in the Greater Philadelphia area with 10 branch locations, more than $987 million in assets, 111,000 members and more than 400 Select Employee Groups (SEGs). PFCU returns its profits to members in the form of higher dividend rates, lower loan rates, better services and investment in the community. For more information, visit www.pfcu.com and connect with PFCU on Facebook and Twitter.