Kelli Green: 0:00

Welcome to another episode of the Live Better podcast, proudly presented by Centric. I’m your host, Kelli Green, and today we will be discussing one of my favorite topics Youth Month. We will be joined by our very own Melanie Moffett. She’s our marketing coordinator, who is just as giddy about students and how starting a conversation as early as possible with your student pays major dividends in their financial future. So, whether you’ve been a loyal listener or you’re joining us for the first time, prepare to dive into financial tips for students, how to join the credit union and perks of having a student debit card. So I want to welcome all of our listeners to another episode of the Live Better podcast. Today we are joined by Melanie Moffett, our Marketing Coordinator here at Centric. But before we dive into our fun topic today, melanie, I want you to tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and what you do every day.

Melanie Moffett: 0:55

Okay, well, I do a lot of different things every day. No, two days look alike. Remotely, I’m a mom. I have two girls that are seven and 11. I’m a very active dance mom. I do a lot of volunteer work in the community and it’s centric Again, no, two days look alike. I handle our campaigns. I handle a lot of our community events. Any day.

Kelli Green: 1:23

You can most likely find me at a ribbon cutting or something around town or working on a new promotion we’ve got going on, oh yeah, so no, two days looking same and I feel like in marketing you have to be super fluid, ready to pivot Absolutely anything could pop up at any point.

Melanie Moffett: 1:39

Yeah, you never know when you have to stop and put on a tree costume and then go to a luncheon 30 minutes later.

Kelli Green: 1:45

Speaking of our tree costume, we’re really proud of our friend, Sprout, and while we’re talking about all things Youth Month, I think it is so important that we talk about who he is and what is really his purpose for us at Centric.

Melanie Moffett: 2:00

Absolutely! So, Sprout was a little idea we had about four years ago to create our own mascot and since Centric’s roots are in the paper mill industry, we figured what better than our little own tree sprout? He’s not a peanut, he’s not a log, he’s Sprout. and we’re quite proud of him. And we’re quite proud of him. We really like to use Sprout to talk to kids about the importance of saving and what he stands for and what Centric stands for and how they can get started on earning and saving as young as you know three or four, that’s right, even when they’re a little Sprout, that’s right, I love it.

Kelli Green: 2:45

Well I remember back when four years ago I can’t believe he’s that old now but when we were kind of thinking about what do we want to do for the design, and we had the different options and we literally brought in our own folks, so the kids saver account. So we had what ages of? Probably like five to about 11 years old that came in and that little popsicle sticks and they use those as like their little ticket to vote on which, which one, which design, they like the best. And so this, this idea of sprout, really came from all of our kids savers. Yeah, they got to be um by being a member at Centric. They had the opportunity to figure out who it was. They decided on who they wanted their mascot, who they wanted to represent them yeah, we had a few different versions.

Melanie Moffett: 3:28

He had a pot at first! The pot was not going to be really feasible to get around, um, so we pivoted like we talked about. But it’s been fun to see him come to life from paper and the computer to like now a full-on costume and he goes all over with us and makes fun, reels and all the things. Oh yeah.

Kelli Green: 3:46

He’s been in many reels, many videos. He will be popping up all over the place. He said several things, from parades to welcome parties, the whole thing. I mean we haven’t had him at a birthday party, but that’s something to say that we couldn’t.

Melanie Moffett: 4:01

This is true. He got his first debit card printed last week, so look for more to come on now.

Kelli Green: 4:06

I love it. I love it Well, and so, as we’re talking about to the debit card, kid savings, the youth month, and really and truly we think about April here, you know, right here, on the cusp of all things brand new with spring, kind of tell us a little bit about the promotion that we have for all things new for april and why that’s really so important for us.

Melanie Moffett: 4:31

Okay well, april is Financial Education Month, so, um, we like to celebrate Youth Month during that. Um, each April we offer, uh, we, we waive the kids membership fee and give them their first deposit on all Kidz Saver accounts, which is a total savings of eight dollars. That’s big time, yes. And then for our student debit card, um, it’s our Kickstart debit card. We also call it our high school checking, but really any kid, um, whatever age, kind of you see fit, can get this account, um, and we do the same thing away in their membership fee and give them their first deposit. So that’s a total savings of $25! Oh yeah, and I don’t know about you, but I would much rather keep up with the debit card than a chunk of birthday money, um, any day. So it has been quite handy to have that for my 11- year- old.

Kelli Green: 5:22

Oh yeah, but I love that you said it, so I want to make sure all of our listeners, too, are aware of that. So if you’re just looking really and truly to get your students started, it can be from birth until you know they’re 17 years of age. Really, you think about that. So during the month of April, we will waive their membership and their first deposit in their Kidz Saver account, and even if they’re opening up a checking account, they would still have that membership account. So that is waived on top of their Kickstart checking account. So that’s a total of what? $32 of savings if you just open your account during that time and we offer that too, for if you have more than one child, or if this is a grandchild or a godchild or a child you want to sponsor, this is something that’s great for you to go ahead and open up the accounts for them and we cover that membership fee and your very first deposit.

Melanie Moffett: 6:13

Absolutely, it’s the best time to do it. For sure, and again, if you have a large family, like you said, you can really save some money and I think it’s important to do it as a family. It’s important for the kids to see you know the process. They love coming into our queen counter and dropping their piggy bank money in and seeing how it adds up, and then they get to come in and get their card. They seeing how it adds up and then they get to come in and get their card. They have a card, a sprout card that they get punched for their deposits. So we really like to encourage that saving behavior in early age and they can see it add up.

Kelli Green: 6:43

That’s right. Well, and not only that, when you were just talking about as they make that deposit, they can actually see that in their mobile app. You can log them into your mobile app if you want to and let them see that, or if you wanted to log it in for them. You know, you can actually see as you make those deposits. They’re able to see, too, with their savings accounts, when those dividends are added. So, as they save, then we kind of put a little something in there to pay extra. Absolutely.

Kelli Green: 7:10

And the other side of it, too, is something I really love is that we have a quarterly newsletter that comes out so they can really see what’s happening, what’s going on, even tips too, from early younger students to those that are maybe more of like your preteen and teen. We have a couple different options in regards to the way we communicate to folks. And then the other thing too I was talking about I was really just thinking about, as you were saying this is them keeping up with that Sprout Saver card. So we love that. That’s instant gratification. Why don’t you talk to us a little bit about that?

Melanie Moffett: 7:43

Yes. So we have our Sprout Saver punch card. So for each $10 that gets deposited into their savings or checking account, they get their card punched and once that card is full they drop it into our magical little box and we do a monthly drawing at each center. For sometimes it’s an amazon gift card, sometimes it might be movie tickets, Chick-Fil-A card, you just never know. We try to keep it fun and relevant for the kids, but just to encourage that, the savings behavior, oh yeah and I think you know something else to think about.

Kelli Green: 8:16

That’s so great because we are a community institution. If you have groups like Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts and you’re making like a large, you know, say you want to have a large group where you’re educating them on the topic of budgeting, saving overall financial tips just to get them going, give us a call. You know, we can set it up. Sprout can greet you right at the door.

Kelli Green: 8:43

I have a Girl Scout troop that needs to earn their budgeting badge. So I mean, sign us up, we’re ready. I think it’s great, too, as far as some of the things that we’ve done, as far as giving them tours and things of that nature throughout the credit union. I know there’s been an opportunity where we actually took a group of Girl Scouts and this was back probably in a couple of years ago, but we got to let them see this is before Sprout ever came to fruition, but they got to go into each and every department and speak to our department heads about who it is, what are they doing? What part of the transaction did they touch? Because, just because they’re bringing, maybe, their piggy bank and dropping their coin, what happens to that money? How do we keep all that up? And how does that come on their app, you know, once they’re able to track it.

Kelli Green: 9:20

So many hands touch it without most people realizing yeah, and so we had probably 15 girls that came through and it was so interesting just to hear their questions and to see, you know, their little eyes light up when they got to walk to the vault or just take a whole tour around. Their little eyes light up when they got to walk to the vault and just take a whole tour around. So those are some things that are open to any of you that might be listening who are a troop leader, or you maybe are a sponsor of a student team or nonprofit group Service organization. Yeah, anything of that group nature that we can really support. You just let us know Sprout can be your guide, Right?

Melanie Moffett: 9:55

It’s a lot of fun. You know, Sprout can also come to different events. I mean, if we have a school or something, you want us to bring sprout to your classroom or to, you know, your club meeting, that kind of thing, um, we can always have him make special appearances. You know, is is our schedule permits, but we, we love to get him out there and get him in the community and introduce him to these kiddos. He loves it, he will break out.

Kelli Green: 10:15

Bust out in “the gritty”G or you never know what he’s working on a handstand from what I hear.

Melanie Moffett: 10:21

I’m really excited about that!

Kelli Green: 10:24

We will have to see how that goes, but I know this is a lot of fun being moms both of us being moms of girls especially talking about finances and ensuring that they are financialists that sound and can make secure decisions whenever they’re older. You mentioned having a debit card in the hands of your daughter. I’ve done the very same thing. They love to see their statement that they get every quarter from their savings account, and so it’s so interesting just to see you know they’re excited about that. Before they want to make a purchase, they’re like mom, pull up my account, let me see what my budget or balance is. So it’s very I think it’s very encouraging for them to see you know they’re making plans for the purchases that they want to make.

Melanie Moffett: 11:07

Yes, you’re absolutely right.

Kelli Green: 11:09

And I think if we would have probably had access to things like that when we were younger, we would have made you must Decision yes.

Melanie Moffett: 11:18

No, no, you’re not, not at all. We had a situation last week where we had a Chromebook from school that had some issues, and so we’ve talked. You know that money is going to have to come out of your account. Okay, well, how much money is in there and what can I do to make some more money in the meantime, kind of thing. So you just never know what kind of questions might pop up and how you’re going to navigate that. But it helps to know. You know, hey, this is what’s in your account right now, this is. If you don’t want to spend all this towards that, then what are you going to do in the meantime? That’s right To make up that difference, because mama didn’t break the Chromebook.

Kelli Green: 11:51

That’s right and that’s what they have to learn those lessons and I think they’re wonderful lessons to learn early on, absolutely Anything that they can. It’s like and I hate to call it like a controlled environment, but especially whenever they’re open and honest to say, hey, here’s what happened, we’ll let us help you navigate that. So something I wanted to point out too is, as your student you know, maybe our business hours don’t necessarily work with a parent’s work schedule. Or maybe when you’re shuffling other kids to different activities and so forth, what’s that like? When am I going to make a deposit for them? And so you want to talk about our ATM-capable deposits. And then also we have the ITMs that are here at MidCity.

Melanie Moffett: 12:30

Yes, I stopped by and got some cash out of the ITM on Saturday. I love that you can cash checks in these now it’s very handy and make deposits, get whatever you need as you need it, and the video banking that comes with it is very handy too. It’s great.

Kelli Green: 12:47

So, basically, you can make a deposit or withdraw cash, or even cash a check 24-7. Right. You do not have to wait for business hours. So if we’re not open and you’re holding a check for your student or you have some cash that they need to deposit, you can take care of all that at either our ITM or at our ATM. Just keep in mind you cash checks only at our ITM, correct. Definitely want to make sure of that. So I know we’ve got a lot of cool things that are happening. Definitely want you to stay in tune to our social media. But before we wrap up today, Melanie, is there anything you want to share with our listeners about Youth Month?

Melanie Moffett: 13:24

I think the biggest thing is just the importance of starting saving at a young age. You know they’re always watching your every move and listening and they understand more than you think they do. So why not get them started at an early age and help them learn that? I mean, they don’t really teach a lot of financial education in schools. It kind of falls on us as parents and I think this is like the best way to get them started, to let them kind of get them in control. But as a parent, you also have access to it. So I love that about our cards.

Kelli Green: 14:04

You know, if there’s a problem with that card, I can just swipe it right on off on my app and turn it off and on as needed and you’ve got the controls there from a security standpoint, or fraud occurs. Absolutely so great. So just kind of in wrapping up, I want to really kind of kind of drill it on home a little bit about this. So whenever you open up that kid saver account, that is their membership share that stays with them for a lifetime yes, they will receive a Sprout Super Saver card, which is that punch card. For every $10 they get a punch. Correct.

Kelli Green: 14:26

When you open up that checking account, they get a debit card right there, right there, yes, right there. They walk in, sign up or even if you do it online, you can walk in and get a debit card. So you’ve got all the things. And then look in your mailbox for quarterly newsletters that will come right to your mailbox with the kid’s name and the parent’s name on there. So it’s really really neat. We just continue to educate and kind of stay in front of the student and the parent so they know really what’s happening and what’s going on.

Melanie Moffett: 14:57

Yeah, what we’re offering. And again April. April is the perfect time to go ahead and get this open, because we will waive this membership fee.

Kelli Green: 15:08

Absolutely Huge savings, huge opportunity, especially when you’re thinking about from one child to 10. This is not there’s no limit to this, and so definitely visit any one of your centers or you can do all these things that we’re talking about online at mycentricorg. So, melanie, thank you so much for joining us this morning and talking about all things Youth Month. We certainly love it. So that brings us to the end of this episode of the Live Better podcast. We hope you found today’s conversation about student debit cards, financial tips and Youth Month to be enlightening and valuable.

Kelli Green: 15:35

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