April was Financial Literacy Month, and Breakwater celebrated in big ways by connecting with community members of all ages through hands-on learning and thoughtfully designed age-appropriate events. Through a mix of classroom visits, community partnerships, and events held at local gathering spots, Breakwater connected directly with 365 individuals across a range of age groups and life stages, ensuring each experience was tailored to meet people where they are. These efforts also indirectly reached an estimated 169 parents, volunteers, observers, and community members who experienced these events alongside attendees.
To kick the month off, we hosted two Financial Reality Fairs at local schools, bringing real-world financial decision making to life for high school students from L’Anse, Baraga, and Houghton High Schools. A Financial Reality Fair is an interactive budgeting simulation where students choose a career, are assigned a salary, and must visit different stations where they make real-life financial decisions about housing, transportation, food, and other everyday living expenses. Through this experience, students get an eye-opening look at what managing personal finances is like after high school graduation.
To enhance our financial literacy efforts, we often look for ways to partner with organizations that share a similar commitment to education and student success. In collaboration with Michigan Tech’s GEAR UP and TRIO Pre-College Access Programs, we hosted our first-ever Bright Futures Fair at the Hancock Community Hub.
This open-house style event welcomed middle and high school students along with their families, creating an opportunity to explore future pathways together. Attendees were able to learn more about Michigan Tech’s GEAR UP and TRIO Pre-College Programs, connect with Tech Tutors for practical academic support, and take part in Breakwater’s hands-on Entrepreneurship Simulation.
During the simulation, families selected a business venture and visited a series of stations where they made key decisions that impacted their budget and overall success. From staffing and marketing to website design and operational costs, each choice influenced their final outcome, with the goal of ending the experience with a positive net gain.
Through this activity, participants gained a deeper understanding of the real costs associated with running a business and how thoughtful decision making can directly impact financial outcomes.
Events like the Bright Futures Fair create valuable, free opportunities for families to start meaningful conversations about the future while connecting with local organizations and resources that can help support their success. Our goal is to continue offering events like these and build greater participation as more families recognize the value they provide.
To engage with the youngest learners in our community, we teamed up with Portage Lake District Library to host two Moneybunny Story Times, featuring the kid-friendly book How Do You Spend? by Cinders McLeod.
This fun story follows a young bunny who is eager to spend their money right away, learning along the way about the importance of making thoughtful choices. Through interactive reading and hands-on activities, children were introduced to basic financial concepts like saving, spending, the difference between needs and wants, and the value of giving to others.
By engaging in creative activities after story time, we were able to spark meaningful conversations between parents and young learners, helping to shape positive money habits that can last for years to come. Each child also received a Breakwater piggy bank, giving them a simple way to start saving at home.
From our tiniest readers to our future leaders, Breakwater remained committed to meeting our community where they are throughout the month of April. At the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College Career Fair and Job Expo, we connected with students and community members to share financial literacy resources and highlight opportunities within the financial industry.
Attendees had the chance to explore different roles within the financial industry, gain insight into professional development and career growth within the credit union landscape, and pick up free financial literacy resources to help guide their future.
One fun event we were excited to bring to the community was Money on Tap at Small Craft in Hancock. As a newer gathering place, Small Craft offers an inviting space where adults can connect, enjoy craft beverages, and spend time together. Their Flybridge space on the upper level provided the perfect setting for our first-ever Money on Tap event, bringing financial literacy to adults in a comfortable and familiar environment.
During the Bingo event, participants tested their knowledge by answering adult-oriented personal finance questions and finding the correct matches on their unique Bingo cards. Winners were rewarded with a variety of fun prizes, including mystery cash amounts, along with Small Craft merchandise, drink chips, and other swag.
This event offered a fun and approachable way for adults to learn more about money management, budgeting, the products and services Breakwater provides, and general financial topics. Given the success of this event, we look forward to hosting more adult-focused financial literacy events like this in the future.
Adults shouldn’t get to have all the fun, so to wrap up Credit Union Youth Month, we hosted our 2nd Annual Money Matters: Fun with Finance for Kids event at the Portage Lake District Library. This hands-on event allowed students to learn about the value of money, ways to earn it, and the importance of saving and spending wisely.
The event began with a story time featuring The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble with Money, which follows Brother and Sister Bear as they learn that earning money takes hard work and that spending it wisely is just as important. Kids then rotated through a series of stations where they completed activities in exchange for play money. Some of these activities included matching prices to everyday items, counting money, creating a chore chart, and more.
Kids then used the play money they earned to shop at the Breakwater Prize Store, where they experienced the value of their hard-earned money firsthand. Some even chose to return to the activity stations to earn additional money for extra prizes, reinforcing the connection between effort, earning, and spending.
At the end of the month, we were pleased to be invited back to Mrs. Peltier’s 2nd Grade Classroom at Dollar Bay Schools for a fun and interactive lesson on money basics. Students learned about the value of money, practiced counting coins and bills, explored what credit unions do, and discussed important financial concepts like deposits, withdrawals, and even the difference between credit and debit.
After reviewing these essential topics, we put their knowledge to the test with a game of money-themed bingo. Students worked through more than fifty questions focused on financial vocabulary, counting money, identifying coins and bills, and understanding the value of money, searching for the correct answers on their individual bingo cards as they played for prizes.
We concluded the visit by giving each student their very own piggy bank and spending time reviewing what we learned throughout the day. It was a fun and meaningful way to connect with this age group, and a visit we are already looking forward to repeating again next year.
Throughout the month, Breakwater also brought financial learning into everyday life with our 2nd annual month-long Financial Literacy Bingo challenge. Participants were encouraged to complete simple, real-life financial tasks, such as creating a budget, checking their credit score, paying off debt, or canceling an unneeded subscription.
After reviewing these essential topics, we put their knowledge to the test with a game of money-themed bingo. Students worked through more than fifty questions focused on financial vocabulary, counting money, identifying coins and bills, and understanding the value of money, searching for the correct answers on their individual bingo cards as they played for prizes.
We concluded the visit by giving each student their very own piggy bank and spending time reviewing what we learned throughout the day. It was a fun and meaningful way to connect with this age group, and a visit we are already looking forward to repeating again next year.
In addition to these efforts, Breakwater continued its commitment to supporting students through its scholarship program, awarding three $1,500 scholarships to local high school seniors this year. This year’s applicants were required to write an essay highlighting their approach to financial preparedness, including their goals, priorities, and the habits they are building for long-term success. The essay theme aligned closely with our Financial Literacy Month initiatives and encouraged thoughtful reflection from students as they prepare for their next chapter. This program reflects our commitment to empowering students not just with knowledge, but with real opportunities to succeed.
Financial Literacy Month may only last 30 days, but the impact of these conversations and experiences extends far beyond April. Through classroom programs, community events, partnerships, and hands-on activities, Breakwater directly engaged with 365 individuals throughout the month. In addition, our efforts indirectly reached an estimated 169 parents, volunteers, observers, and community members who participated in or experienced these events alongside attendees.
From early learning opportunities to future planning and adult-focused financial education, our goal remains the same: to empower our community with the knowledge, confidence, and resources needed to make informed financial decisions at every stage of life. We are grateful to all of the schools, organizations, families, and community members who helped make this year’s Financial Literacy Month such a meaningful success, and we look forward to continuing to grow these efforts in the future.
