Dunbar students recognized for participating in Banking on Our Future program

The first “graduates” of the Banking Our Future program at Dunbar Elementary School were honored in a recognition ceremony on Oct. 28. Banking on Our Future is a five-week series designed to educate students about the basics of personal finance, sponsored by Union Bank, in partnership with nonprofit Operation HOPE and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley.
This was the first session taught at Dunbar Elementary School, which started in September and was taught by Union Bank volunteers Robin Gold and Molly Fedorchak. The class had more than 14 students and is the fourth group of elementary school students to participate in the curriculum, which includes topics like Basics of Budgeting, Get Smart About Banking (Checking and Saving Accounts), Fundamentals of Credit, and Introduction to Savings and Investing. There is also a course titled “A Course in Dignity.” Each week, students participating in the program learned practical lessons by using hands-on calculations and real-world examples.
“Working together with Union Bank and Operation HOPE, we have been able to bring the Banking on Our Future curriculum to students at our Club so they receive a great financial education foundation,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley Chief Executive Officer Robert Hughes. “The weekly activities give the children hands-on experiences that they would not normally have.”
In the culminating ceremony held October 28, Boys & Girls Clubs, Union Bank, and Operation HOPE executives formally acknowledged and awarded certificates to the students for participating in the program.