Chelsea Groton Bank Hosts 13th Annual Money Madness Event

From Chelsea Groton Bank: Over 250 area high school students and teachers convened in the Crozier Williams Student Center at Connecticut College on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 for the 13th Annual Money Madness seminar presented by Chelsea Groton Bank. Nine area schools participated in the day: Academy of the Holy Family, Griswold Alternative School, Ledyard High School, Lyman Memorial High School, Marine Science Magnet High School, Montville High School, Norwich Free Academy, Wheeler High School and Waterford High School.

The half-day seminar opened with a panel discussion that explored various career paths and success stories of local leaders. Panel participants were: Kia Baird, Certified Employment Support Professional; Lisa Carberg, former CT news personality and owner of Lisa Carberg Communications; and Devin Schleidt, entrepreneur and owner of Schleidt Works LLC. Students were invited to ask questions, which prompted the panelists to share inspiring stories of how they came to be in their current careers, how they make time for volunteerism, and how they are socially responsible in their lives and in their lines of business. Panelists closed the session by sharing a few key takeaways and bits of advice with the students, including: do your own reading and research instead of just taking others’ word for it; don’t give up no matter how many obstacles seem to be in your way; and it’s ok to be different.

The day also included several break-out sessions presented by representatives from the Husky Nutrition Program, Byrnes Agency, UCONN Extension/CT Saves, Better Business Bureau CT, United Way, CHET, SERAC, Team Integrity Taekwondo, and representatives from Chelsea Groton Bank. Topics included: costs of gambling, eating healthfully on a budget, self-defense, identity theft, education financing, college success, and the importance of saving.

The session closed with a Family Feud-style game where students teamed up with their classmates to compete against other schools. Questions pertaining to the day’s panel discussion and break-out activities were asked to test what the students learned.

"This year, Chelsea Groton is celebrating 165 years of serving customers and the community. It's so important that we have an opportunity to work with teens each year, both through the annual Money Madness event and by going into their classrooms on a regular basis, as they are the future of our region,” explained Miria Toth, Community Education Officer at Chelsea Groton Bank. "Many of the topics we cover at Money Madness may not be included in their regular school curriculum, but they are critical to be aware of before beginning to make monetary decisions as young adults."

To learn more about Chelsea Groton Bank’s Chelsea University or to schedule a workshop, please visit www.chelseagroton.com/ChelseaUniversity.