CHANGING KIDS’ LIVES THROUGH FINANCIAL EDUCATION
Welcome to the 2021 third quarter RMJ Foundation Newsletter
RMJ DONOR APPRECIATION GALA Presented By PSCU
This year’s RMJ Donor Appreciation Gala presented by PSCU will be held on Nov. 1, 2021, at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, CA. This event is to thank our 2021 supporters for their support and contributions that helped RMJ to have another successful year. Invitations were sent out earlier this month. We look forward to celebrating another successful year with our supporters!
This event is by invitation only.
RMJ CREDIT UNION TRAIN
The RMJ Virtual Credit Union Train rolls down the tracks Sept. 1 —28. Each year, credit unions showcase their train cars for thousands to see at the Los Angeles County Fair Garden Railroad. The 2021 fair was cancelled, so we turned our event to a virtual event. Each of the 15 participating credit unions have been individually featured on our social media platforms during the fundraiser.
Visit our website to see each participating credit union’s train car! rmjfoundation.org/cu-train. A special thank you to our sponsors and participating credit unions! Because of you, we were able to raise more than $10,000 to help us continue our mission of supporting credit unions and continue to bring free financial education to today’s youth.
We are looking forward to being in person for the 2022 Los Angeles County Fair in May. For more information on the Credit Union Train, contact Jenn Lucas at [email protected]
FINANCIAL EDUCATION
Bite of Reality®
The RMJ Foundation continues to work with credit unions nationwide to provide Bite of Reality to their communities. With in-person events beginning to slowly take place again, the RMJ Foundation will continue to offer in-person fairs as well as the remote version until in-person fairs are back in full swing.
With so many ways to deliver Bite of Reality, it’s easy to bring budgeting skills to the youth in your community today! For more information visit www.rmjfoundation.org/bite-of-reality or contact Jenn Lucas @ [email protected].
FINANCIAL CORNER – BROUGHT TO YOU BY PSCU
Break the Money Taboo
Many of us grew up learning that money is a topic to avoid in polite company, that you shouldn’t brag about your net worth or share your salary with colleagues or ask friends about their financial strategy. But according to a recent NewYork Times article, there is tremendous value in being open about money. In fact, to improve our members’ financial situations, it’s time we all change the narrative. Consider baking this tip for members into your financial well-being messaging:
- Start small. If you’re unsure of where to start, remember that you don’t have to learn everything about money at once. Start with one financial lesson at a time: if you have a hard time saving, focus on emergency funds; if you want to get out of debt, research different debt payoff methods; read a money blog or listen to a money podcast.
- Schedule money meetings. Set aside time to talk about finances with your partner or spouse to make sure you are on the same financial page.
- Talk to your friends. The more comfortable you are talking about topics like retirement plans, student loans and budgeting openly among your peers, the more opportunity you have to learn from each other – and you’ll develop healthier relationships with money, too.
- Be more honest about money. Create the possibility for learning and invite better financial habits and solutions when you break the money taboo.
- Set a goal. Have a plan for your money. The more financial goals you achieve, the more comfortable you’ll get with your financial situation.
- Finally, check out the variety of free resources available for people of all ages at Practical Money Skills. A small investment of your time could pay big dividends.
The Side Effects Project – National Credit Union Foundation
The National Credit Union Foundation has a new project entitled, Side Effects, that sheds light on the financial crisis of cancer hiding in plain sight and what credit unions can do to better serve their members.
The Side Effects Project builds on the 2018 work of the Foundation that offered a model for credit unions and health care system to work together to address members’ physical, mental AND financial health and well-being. This work is a deeper dive to help credit unions understand this link between health and wealth, with a medical issue that ALL of us have experienced in one form or another – cancer.
The goal with Side Effects – a seven-part collection of essays, photos, films, and audio narratives – is that credit unions will see this connection, then serve these members better. While this is a hard issue to tackle, especially while still coping with COVID-19, the health and economic challenges mirror the struggles faced by cancer patients and their families every day. The Foundation hopes that lessons learned by the credit union industry during the pandemic may help to show our members that we are on their side in their fight against cancer.
FUNDRAISING
All funds raised from our fundraising events allow us to continue to help credit unions bring financial education to their communities and continue to offer our signature Bite of Reality® program for free to credit unions in California and Nevada.
RMJ / Origence Golf Tournament
Our 2021 golf tournament was held on Aug. 10, in Dana Point, CA at the Monarch Beach Resort. Thank you to all our sponsors and golfers for making the day a success! We had 130 golfers who showed their support and helped us raise just over $80,000 for the RMJ Foundation. Click here to see photos from the event.
RMJ / Origence Golf Tournament
Our 2021 golf tournament was held on Aug. 10, in Dana Point, CA at the Monarch Beach Resort. Thank you to all our sponsors and golfers for making the day a success! We had 130 golfers who showed their support and helped us raise just over $80,000 for the RMJ Foundation. Click here to see photos from the event.
RMJ Silent Auction at REACH
RMJ will hold our 7th annual Silent Auction at the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues' REACH Conference in November. There are two ways to support this fundraiser.
RMJ will hold our 7th annual Silent Auction at the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues' REACH Conference in November. There are two ways to support this fundraiser.
- Participating REACH Sponsors: To help drive traffic your way, donate an item to be auctioned off at your booth in the Exhibit Hall.
- REACH Attendees: Visit the Exhibit Hall during Exhibit Hall hours and bid on any (or many!) of the great items up for auction! For more information, or to participate in the RMJ Silent Auction at REACH, contact Jenn Lucas at [email protected]