MIAMI, FL--(Marketwire - Jun 4, 2012) - FirstBank Florida is sending school kids off on summer vacation with the hope they have learned ways to add a few more dollars to their piggy banks. Representatives from FirstBank Florida recently visited elementary and high schools in South and Central Florida to share some insight on how kids can start saving money now. At schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Orlando, 1,275 children were reached through the interactive presentations.
"The ability to make smart financial decisions needs to be instilled from a young age," said Calixto Garcia-Velez, EVP, Florida Region. "By implementing these fun, educational programs in our schools, we are helping to mold future savvy consumers and we are proud to be contributing to our community in this way."
Tips that were shared with the children included:
- Set a Budget - Create a plan that helps to keep track of the money that is earned or received from allowance or birthday gifts and the money that is spent.
- Start a Savings Account - Visit a FirstBank Florida branch to open a First One savings account.
- Make Deposits Regularly - The bank is the safest place for money, as it is secured by the FDIC, plus the money will earn interest.
The FirstBank Florida branch managers below attended the following schools:
- Maria Abascal, Bird Road branch - Kenwood Elementary
- Carla Largaespada, Coral Gables branch, and Iliana Carbajal, Doral branch - John I Smith Elementary School
- Frank Irizarry, West Kendall branch - John A. Ferguson High, Eugenia B. Thomas Elementary and Herbert A. Ammons Middle School
- Anyela Hernandez, Residential lending - Ekklesia Miami Church
- Barbara Bloom, Deerfield branch, Gail Keller, Margate branch, and Diane McDonough, Sunrise branch - Margate Elementary School
- Amelia Dansky, Pembroke Pines branch - Sea Castle Elementary
- Stephanie Ginebra, Orlando and St. Cloud branches - Shenandoah Elementary and Cypress Elementary
In addition to the American Bankers Association's "Teach Children to Save Day" program, FirstBank Florida supports local organizations such as March of Dimes, United Way, FIU's "First Generation Scholarship Fund," Habitat for Humanity, ASPIRA, Centro Mater, Autism Speaks and Autism Charter School and His House.
About First BanCorp
First BanCorp is the parent corporation of FirstBank Puerto Rico, a state-chartered commercial bank with operations in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Florida, and of FirstBank Insurance Agency. First BanCorp and FirstBank Puerto Rico operate within U.S. banking laws and regulations. The Corporation operates a total of 148 branches, stand-alone offices and in-branch service centers throughout Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Florida. Among the subsidiaries of FirstBank Puerto Rico are First Federal Finance Corp., a small loan company; FirstBank Puerto Rico Securities, a broker-dealer subsidiary; First Management of Puerto Rico; and FirstMortgage, Inc., a mortgage origination company. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, FirstBank operates First Express, a small loan company. First BanCorp's common shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols FBP. Visit www.firstbankpr.com for more information.
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