Greenwich United Way Finance Champions Celebrates Three Years

The third year of Greenwich United Way’s Finance Champions program at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich was celebrated on May 25 with the program’s annual Finance Champions Showcase and Bazaar.

Eight Greenwich middle school students and eight dedicated volunteers worked together over the course of five weeks this spring to develop lifelong skills of earning, saving, and spending wisely.  

“The student presentations were impressive and demonstrated meaningful lessons. Students highlighted what they learned to reach financial goals and their plans to divide individual shares of money to save for long-term goals, give gifts, treat themselves, and donate to community organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich and the Greenwich United Way,” said Cecile Meunier, program coordinator for the Greenwich United Way. “In creating and successfully managing their own Bazaar, students learned about pricing and engaging with customers to reach goals. These important skills will stay with them forever and pay off dividends as Finance Champions weave these early lessons into their financial decisions for years to come.”

Finance Champions is grateful to the support of COBS Breads and Trader Joe’s, which donated baked goods and plants for the event.

Modeled on the town-wide revered Reading Champions reading fluency program, Finance Champions was piloted in 2018 and pairs volunteers and students to help establish and practice good money habits, including goal setting, earning, smart spending, saving, banking and budgeting. Prospective volunteers interested in participating in next semester’s program can contact Cecile Meunier at [email protected] or 203-869-2256 or Deelia Wadsworth, BGCG Education & Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] or 203-869-3224

The Greenwich United Way (GUW) shares a name with approximately 1,200 other similar organizations across the nation, although the Greenwich, Connecticut division is a privately incorporated, locally governed, nonprofit agency. As a volunteer-driven organization, the Greenwich United Way exists to help identify and address the health, educational and self-sufficiency needs specific to its local community and to create and affect meaningful, lasting solutions. Through various fundraising efforts and on-going research, the organization is able to directly grant the funds necessary to accomplish this goal.

The Greenwich United Way also invests in and conducts collaborative efforts to address broad-based community needs with partnering nonprofit agencies. For more information, visit https://greenwichunitedway.org, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.