BankNewport Hosts Virtual Financial Education Fair for Local High School Students

Annual Fair part of overall 2021 BNWise impact on Rhode Island schools

Rogers High School students collaborating on the completion of a BNWise Financial Education Fair assignment.

NEWPORT, R.I.  (June 24, 2021) – BankNewport hosted a Virtual Financial Education Fair for students at West Warwick, Portsmouth and Rogers High School in Newport, who participated in its 2021 BNWise financial education program. The virtual fair featured videos and digital online resources that guided students through a final assignment: creating their own personal monthly budget. The program was designed to have students make lifestyle spending decisions based on their chosen career, monthly income and living expenses.  The Bank also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to students who participated in the Financial Education Fair program.

“The goal of the culminating Financial Education Fair is for students to make lifestyle spending decisions based on their chosen career, monthly income, and living expenses, to develop a better understanding of what it takes to budget month to month,” said Kathleen Charbonneau, Vice President/Director of Community Relations, BankNewport.

In addition to the Financial Education Fair, the BNWise Financial Education program made significant impact on middle schools and high schools in Rhode Island during the school year.  As of June 3, 2021, more than 1,450 active students from 25 schools participated in bank-sponsored financial literacy courses. Of the 5,815 completed modules across the participating schools, students achieved a 56% knowledge gain of key financial education content.

BankNewport’s VP/Newport Branch Sales Manager, Evan Rose (far right) joined a group of Rogers High School students to extend congratulations on the completion of their personal budget assignment. The Bank hosted a virtual financial education fair on its website that featured videos and digital online resources to guide students in creating their own monthly budget. The program was designed to have students make lifestyle spending decisions based on their chosen career, monthly income and living expenses.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes to our lives over the past year, and further raised the importance of financial literacy,” continued Charbonneau. “As a community bank, sharing our financial expertise is central to BankNewport’s mission, and we are extremely proud to present valuable financial lessons to the youth of our community so that they have the knowledge and confidence to make sound financial choices and achieve success as future employees, parents, and members of our community.”

For those beyond the classroom, BNWise community programming offers personalized adult financial education courses. From January through June 2021, over 70 community members participated in 5 BNWise community programming covering topics including: financial foundations, owning a home, financial caregiving, preparing for retirement, building financial capability, managing your credit and investing in your future.

About BankNewport:
Founded in 1819 and headquartered in Newport, BankNewport offers a full suite of loan and deposit products and services for families and businesses throughout Rhode Island.  With $2.0 billion in assets, BankNewport is one of the oldest community banks in the United States and, as a mutual organization, is committed to the financial success of its customers, employees and communities. BankNewport has 17 branch locations, with commercial lending offices in Cumberland and Providence.

BankNewport business lines include OceanPoint Marine Lending, specializing in consumer marine and recreational vehicle financing programs, and OceanPoint Insurance, a Trusted Choice independent insurance agency, providing a broad range of property casualty insurance products, including employee benefits and marine related insurance products.  For more information, visit www.banknewport.com.