KANSAS CITY, MO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/07/14 --
Highlighting the importance of financial literacy in a showcase of educational prowess, teams of high school students nationwide competed for more than $70,000 in college scholarships and cash prizes during the inaugural H&R Block Dollars & Sense Financial Literacy Promotion Project. Competitors created campaigns designed to educate their peers or the general public on critically important personal finance skills and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of financial literacy. The finals were held May 4-6 at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Amanda Guglielmo and Madison Light from South Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia won first place and each received a $5,000 scholarship. Second place went to Sarah Cadman, Keegan Tansey and Ashley Cain from Kingston CVI High School in Kingston, Ontario, who each received a $3,000 scholarship. In third place, taking home $2,000 scholarships each, were Jordyn Dunn, Brenna Franck and Brandon Schimming from Penta-Oak Harbor (Ohio) High School. An additional $49,000 in scholarships was awarded to teams finishing fourth through tenth in the competition and to state winners across the country.
"Students who graduate high school with an understanding of basic money management skills such as how to save, budget and invest are in a much better place for long-term financial success," said Christina Lively, director of H&R Block Dollars & Sense. "We challenged students to embrace the real-world importance of financial literacy and develop their own outreach plans, and were thrilled with the results. These teens showed us the knowledge and confidence needed to manage their financial futures and we're excited to award them with scholarships to provide a financial jump-start to their college careers!"
DECA's Competitive Events Program is recognized by all 50 state departments of education and the U.S. Department of Education as a highly effective tool to connect classrooms and the business world. H&R Block sponsored the Financial Literacy Promotion Project so students could learn about fundamental money management skills in fun, engaging ways while also developing creative options for sharing that knowledge with their peers. Students were encouraged to pay special heed to benchmarks identified by the Council for Economic Education (CEE) as important concepts every teen should know before graduating high school: Earning income, buying goods and services, saving, using credit, financial investing, and protecting and insuring.
About H&R Block Dollars & Sense
Funded by H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB), the world's largest tax services provider, H&R Block Dollars & Sense provides educators and students with personal finance curriculum and resources to increase financial literacy among teens. Since 2009, H&R Block Dollars & Sense has donated more than $4 million in grants and scholarships. For more information, visit www.hrblockdollarsandsense.org.
About H&R Block
H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) is the world's largest consumer tax services provider. More than 625 million tax returns have been prepared worldwide by and through H&R Block since 1955. In fiscal 2013, H&R Block had annual revenues of $2.9 billion with 24.8 million tax returns prepared worldwide. Tax return preparation services are provided in over 11,000 company-owned and franchise retail tax offices worldwide by professional tax preparers, and through H&R Block digital products. H&R Block Bank provides affordable banking products and services. For more information, visit the H&R Block Newsroom.
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Source: H & R Block
