STRATFORD, CT – (May 30, 2022) – Sikorsky Credit Union takes a leadership role in promoting financial literacy to high school students through Financial Reality Fairs - in a virtual format.

Sikorsky Credit Union hosted several Financial Reality Fairs in many local high schools in a new virtual format. This year 747 students from Bunnell High School, Seymour High School, Stratford High School, Shelton High School, Trumbull High School and Derby High school had the unique opportunity to practice managing personal finances and create a household budget.

In the Reality Fairs, students choose a career and discover their entry-level salary. Then they need to manage their personal finances by creating a household budget. Students are required to allocate money towards housing, transportation, food, and utilities, and also have the opportunity to budget money for fun things like concert tickets and vacations. Students are able to complete this exercise using an app, which makes the process more efficient. The app also has surprise pop-ups which mimics many situations that people may find themselves dealing with in real life, such as paying for an unexpected flat tire or broken cell phone screen. The goal of this exercise is to create a budget successful based on their chosen career and not spend more than they earn.

This hands-on activity helps students to understand what exactly goes into maintaining the lifestyle they see for themselves in the future. According to Ken Ferrari, SVP/Chief Experience Officer, “Financial Literacy is an important topic and this year Sikorsky Credit Union partnered with six local high schools to teach students how to manage personal finances.”

Pamela Garrett, Shelton CTE Curriculum Leader, shared, “Sikorsky Credit Union has supported student learning in financial literacy through their Virtual Reality Fair. This simulation helps students make real-world decisions toward financial readiness and supports a lifetime of good money management.”

Sikorsky Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in Connecticut with more than 55,000 members. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, or volunteers in Fairfield, Hartford or New Haven counties. Sikorsky Credit Union believes in banking the way you choose and gives members the option to bank at one of their convenient branch locations, online or through their mobile app. For more information, please visit www.sikorskycu.org. Deposits insured by the NCUA, an agency of the US government.