Bismarck, ND - Credit Union Association of the Dakotas is pleased to announce that Sage Doehler, Retail Manager at First Community Credit Union in Grand Forks, North Dakota was recently elected to the North Dakota Jump$tart Coalition Board of Directors for a two year term. “I am drawn to the Jump$start Coalition’s work, promoting financial literacy education, and I am looking forward to having a meaningful impact on financial literacy here in North Dakota,” she remarked.

In addition, Pam Nieuwenhuis of Railway Credit Union in Mandan has been serving for the past two years as Treasurer of the NDJ$ Board. “I’ve really enjoyed serving on the board,” she stated. “It’s been especially interesting to interact with others who have a passion for financial literacy, that aren’t necessarily employed by financial institutions,” she added.

The North Dakota Jump$tart Coalition seeks to improve the personal financial literacy of all North Dakotans. It is comprised of more than 35 organizations, government agencies, financial institutions, corporations, nonprofits, and individuals. Working together, they promote activities that enhance a greater understanding of the importance of personal finance. 

Besides serving on the board, Nieuwenhuis has been a member of Jump$tart for many years. “Our Mission is to improve the personal financial literacy of all North Dakotans. We set out to accomplish this by organizing conferences and being guest speakers at various community engagements. We are most known for our Real World Camps that teach youth about money and budgets. The one-day camps are held annually for local 5th and 6th graders. Over the past several years, the cities of Bismarck, Fargo, Williston and Minot have all organized and hosted these camps. Last year, Jamestown held their first camp and we were very excited to learn that Grand Forks will be hosting their first camp in the spring of 2020. Community leaders donate their time and resources to organize these camps, and our Real World Camp Committees do an outstanding job promoting and representing ND Jump$tart Coalition,” she explained.

ND Jump$tart also offers an annual $1,000 scholarship to a graduating high school senior to help with college expenses. In addition, they offer two scholarships to the National Educator Conference that is held in Washington DC. For more information about the scholarships, visit their website at ndjumpstart.org.  

Membership to NDJ$ is free, and anyone can play an active part. If you would like more information about volunteering or if your credit union would like to support this important work, please contact Lance Hill at lrhill@nd.gov or Vanessa Hoines at Vanessa.hoines@ndsu.edu.