Pilot Grove donates financial program to FMMS

BY PCC STAFF

FORT MADISON –A local bank has donated a financial literacy program to be used at the Fort Madison Middle School as part of an ongoing commitment to local students and educators.

Pilot Grove Savings Bank has donated Ramsey Solutions’Foundations in Personal Financecurriculum to FMMS. The curriculum,Foundations in Personal Finance,was selected to teach financial literacy to students and it includes textbooks, videos, and online budgeting tools for more than 120 students to use in the classroom.

“One of my favorite things from personal finance is that this is something we will use in the real world. We’ve been seeing how to budget and save money,” said eighth grader Sylvia Jerden.

Ft. Madison Middle School and Pilot Grove Savings Bank were in support of a curriculum that teaches students the value of saving, spending, and giving. Dave Ramsey’sFoundations in Personal Financewas selected by Ft. Madison Middle School because it utilizes a blended learning model that meets standards and benchmarks in all fifty states and Jump$tart national standards. Eighth grade teacher Donna McVeigh claims, “Teaching kids about using money now allows them to learn the value of having a budget, using cash, and saving money before they actually get to the working world.” The program has been taught in more than 10,000 schools and educational institutions.

“Pilot Grove Savings Bank is known as a leading financial institution in southeast Iowa,” said Marketing Director Melissa Flowers, “The bank wanted to ensure students are taught the fundamentals of personal finance at a young age. The bank made this donation to equip students with the skills needed to make smart financial decisions in the future."

Pilot Grove Savings Bank is proud to be a supporter of Ft. Madison schools. From athletic boosters to the music department and from yearbook sales to heart rate monitors for a high school class, Pilot Grove Savings Bank continues to give back to the schools.

Accepting a check from Melissa Flowers and Justin Menke of Pilot Grove Savings Bank are Middle School Principal, Todd Dirth, Donna McVeigh, and her eighth grade class. Courtesy photo.