WCCU Hosts Virtual CU4Reality Financial Literacy Fair

Westerly Community Credit Union Hosts Virtual CU4Reality Financial Literacy Fair for Chariho and Westerly High Schools.

In observance of National Financial Literacy month, students from Chariho and Westerly High Schools joined Westerly Community Credit Union for the 10th annual CU4Reality Financial Literacy Fair.  This is the first year the fair, which helps students learn the realities of financial choices and budgeting, was offered virtually.  To date over 2,000 students from the Chariho, Narragansett, and Westerly high schools have participated in this exciting and fun simulation of the financial realities of life.


Sponsored by Westerly Community Credit Union, the CU4Reality Financial Literacy Fair was developed in conjunction with the Credit Union Coalition, by educators, for educators and is often the capstone to financial education curriculums in the schools.  The fair itself simulates real world income potential, spending choices and the inevitable unexpected expenses. Students make career choices and lifestyle decisions as they move through various lifestyle stations such as Housing, Utilities, Transportation, Food, Loans & Credit, Leisure. At the Wheel of Reality students experience the unexpected, replacing a water heater, significant car repairs or receiving unexpected income.  By creating personal budgets based on the expected income of their career choice, reserving funds for living expenses and purchases they feel they cannot live without, students experience how easy it is to fall short on money and how to implement budgeting and saving plans learned in the classroom to close the gap.


WCCU President Steve White states that “The Cu4Reality Fair is an amazing opportunity, and we are proud to be a resource and partner for local educators tasked with encouraging the next generation to become financially smart so they can live the life they dream of and be financially secure in the future.” 
Rhode Island State General Treasurer, Seth Magaziner sent his greetings and encouragement through a video which was played during the opening of the virtual fair. Historically, Treasurer Magaziner has attended WCCU’s CU4Reality Fairs and other similar events during Financial Literacy Month.

About Westerly Community Credit Union:
The WCCU initiative, #WCCUCares, emphasizes their focus on caring about their members, their members’ financial success, and their community. Established in 1948, Westerly Community Credit Union is a local, full–service financial institution that currently serves over 19,600 members with lending and deposit products through their convenient locations in Wakefield, Richmond, Westerly, as well as online via www.westerlyccu.com. Recent WCCU awards include: Westerly Sun’s Readers’ Choice Best Bank Award (2017-18-19 and top 3 in 2020), Southern RI Chamber Choice- Best Employer (2018), “Spreadin’ the Love” (2019 & 2020) community service awards as well as PBN Best Places to Work (2018-19).