A first-hand interactive financial experience.
LOC has a long history of providing financial education through our student-run credit union program. To expand on those efforts, LOC is providing local school districts an opportunity to partner up with us and host a Financial Reality Fair.
A Financial Reality Fair is an interactive experience in which students research and identify their career choice and starting salaries then complete a budget sheet requiring them to live within their monthly salary while paying for basics such as housing, utilities, transportation, clothing and food. These fairs will give students a view into real life budgeting while illustrating the impact of their choices on their lifestyle. Students end the experience at the financial counseling station to ensure they have balanced their budgets and review their savings goals and what they accomplished during the fair. Our Financial Reality Fair programs are available for both middle and high school students and are tailored to fit each age group and their next life steps. Watch the video below recapping our Financial Reality Fairs from the 2018-19 school year.
The 2018-19 school year reality fairs have allowed us to reach over 1,750 students across six school districts during our 11 fairs!
Interested in Hosting a Reality Fair?
LOC will provide all materials for students and volunteers participating in the fair experience. Schools will need to provide a space large enough for the desired number of students and assistance with recruiting volunteers to help run the fair. If you are interested in having a Financial Reality Fair at your school building or virtually, please contact scole@loccreditunion.com
Volunteering For A Financial Reality Fair
A large part of the success of our Financial Reality Fairs is due to volunteers from local businesses, community leaders and LOC members. We'd like to personally thank the more than 175 volunteers who helped us put on the 11 Financial Reality Fairs during the 2018-19 school year.
If you'd like to volunteer for future fairs, please fill out the form below to be added to our volunteer database. We will follow up with you about upcoming fairs based on your preferred location, day and time availability.
For the fairs, volunteers will be assigned to a specific station and will provide different spending options available to the student. Your goal is to encourage the student to select bigger and more expensive options to see if they make a smart decision based on their monthly income and other needs. We ask volunteers to report 30 minutes prior to the fair to receive a brief overview, cover your assigned station and answer any questions you may have.
