School Spotlight: Ridge Wood Elementary Teachers Engage Students in Financial Education

Senior Education Partnership Coordinator, Mary Kerwin,
instructs volunteers on cash handling procedures before
Ridge Wood's Student-Run Credit Union Grand Opening.

The Student-Run Credit Union Program is Back!

Community Financial’s award winning Student-Run Credit Union program is back again! Our school partnerships continue to grow every year, and we are now partnered with 52 schools in our neighboring communities. Ridge Wood Elementary in Northville began a partnership with us in 2017. With the added support of Ridge Wood’s staff and students, we are now partnered with all elementary and middle schools within the Northville school district.


What is the Student-Run Credit Union?

Ridge Wood's Student-Run Credit Union in action!

The Student-Run Credit Union is a program operated by Community Financial where students, age kindergarten through high school, can save their money monthly at their school. Students practice good banking habits and develop a sense of ownership with their finances at an early age. Fourth-grade students at Ridge Wood, for example, operate the Student-Run Credit Union once a month. Each Ridge Wood student volunteer is assigned a job and assists young members in all grades to save their money.

Ridge Wood's Student-Run Credit Union in action!

Ridge Wood's Student-Run Credit Union in action!

Marketing Representatives hard at
work promoting deposit days.

Teacher Support for Financial Education and Wellness

Ridge Wood 4th grade teachers interacting with volunteers and members.

Teacher support and involvement is critical to our Student-Run Credit Union program. Without the support of teachers believing in helping students achieve financial success and wellness, our program would not exist. The need for financial education is a strong topic of conversation in many states and districts throughout the country. Financial education is incredibly important for everyone to learn. Our Student-Run Credit Union program helps to assist teachers in achieving this objective. Ridge Wood teachers saw the importance of a partnership with Community Financial in 2017. A huge thank you to our Ridge Wood teachers and all teachers who believe in financial education!

Ridge Wood 4th grade teachers interacting with volunteers and members.

Your Turn: Which financial topics do you find important for students to learn?

International Credit Union Day is October 17th!

On October 17th, Community Financial Credit Union will join with 56,000 credit unions around the world in celebration of International Credit Union (ICU) Day®. There are 200+ million credit union members around the world—more than 100 million in the U.S. alone—and  Community Financial joins them in celebration of the not-for-profit cooperative spirit that all credit unions share.

This cooperative spirit has led to life-changing opportunities for people all over the world who’ve wanted to start a small business, own a home or continue their education but were denied access to other financial institutions. In many parts of the world, people’s first taste of democracy is through their credit union, where “one member, one vote” is the governing structure.

Making Banking Easier with an Updated Mobile App!

We are excited to share several new features of our Mobile Banking App with you! Go to the app store on your device now to update and you'll be directed through a brief tutorial when you first log in! If you would like a refresh on mobile banking benefits, check out this short video

Here's What's New!

Mortgage Payments:
You can now conveniently transfer payments to pay your Community Financial Mortgage from the transfer menu in our mobile app.

Ways to Save on Food Costs in College

With your mind so muddled with details like classes, exams, and papers, who has time to think about food? You might be heading into the new semester with plans to subsist solely on convenience food and packaged junk. We’re looking at you, ramen noodles!

But as you’ll quickly discover, overdoing the processed foods will leave you feeling not quite full and not so nutritionally sound, either.

You’re ready for a change. But how can you prepare nutritious meals that don’t cost a bundle or take hours of prep time? Is it even possible?