VACU Backs RVA Reads Initiative

More than 35 volunteers from Virginia Credit Union are marking April as Financial Literacy Month by helping improve the early literacy for preschoolers in the City of Richmond.

The credit union and its employees are joining with RVA Reads to donate 1,000 copies of Just Saving My Money, a children’s book written by Joseph Slate and illustrated by Ashley Wolff, so that every preschooler in Richmond Public Schools Preschool Learning Center receives a book to take home.

The credit union volunteers are visiting the five City preschool centers to read the book to students. On April 9 and 10, volunteers visited the Summer Hill Preschool Center and Blackwell Preschool Learning Center.

Upcoming visits will be held at the Maymont Preschool Learning Center on April 16, the Mary Scott Preschool Learning Center on April 17 and the MLK Preschool Learning Center on April 24. The volunteers are scheduled to read to the students at 10 a.m.

Barbara Tisdale Crump, the program coordinator for RVA Reads at the Richmond Public Library, provided a lesson plan, discussion guide and song for the volunteers to use with the students. In the story, one of the characters knows he needs to save money to buy a new skateboard. He earns money by doing various chores, puts his money in the bank, and in the end, makes a different purchase than originally planned.

“Just Saving My Money" is a great resource to teach even the youngest students about the value of a dollar,” said Cherry Dale, Virginia Credit Union Financial Education Director.

A financial cooperative serving more than 280,000 members, Virginia Credit Union offers a variety of affordable banking services, loans, mortgages, and free financial education resources, with a focus on helping people be more confident with their finances. Virginia Credit Union is an equal housing opportunity lender and is federally insured by NCUA.