Session on finances is a good investment
Bob Barker was the only missing piece from the “Price is Right”-style game at Cradle Beach last week.
Campers guessed how much a gallon of milk cost this year compared with 1992, tried to match a pair of sneakers with its accurate price and debated which was more expensive: a Happy Meal or a container of laundry detergent.
Of course, there was a teachable moment behind the fun. The campers were spending an afternoon away from the swimming pool and playground to improve their money skills.
The financial literacy course, sponsored by Evans National Bank, taught the kids how to balance a checkbook, protect themselves from identity theft and spend wisely.
One of the instructors was Mary Hosler, an Evans assistant vice president. She tried to avoid terms like “equity,” “inflation” and “deficit” in her talk — words that would make any 13- year-old’s eyes glaze over.
“What you [learn] today may not come to fruition for a couple years,” she said. “But you plant the seed.”
One camper who appeared to take the lessons to heart was 13-year-old Luis Rodriguez of Buffalo. He couldn’t believe that a pound of ham he thought cost a couple dollars was in fact $6.
“Not a lot comes in a pound,” he said.
He said he didn’t mind losing one of his free-time sessions in order to learn.
“It taught us about financial,” matters, he said.
The camp’s older Pioneer campers spent more time learning how to open a bank account, avoid overdraft fees and write out checks. They knew first-hand what it’s like to be hit in the pocketbook. Several of the teens remembered when a video game went for about $20. Now new ones range between $50 and $60, they said.
Dan Eckert, 15, said the seminar was a lot more interesting than he expected. “I thought it was going to be a bunch of math,” he said.
The session covered more than dollars and cents. Timothy Boling, Cradle Beach chief executive officer, said the instruction was important because the two populations the camp serves — the disadvantaged and the disabled — often lose out the most when dealing with finances.
“[The seminar] is a perfect fit for us,” Boling said.
One of the campers was particularly excited. Ben Petrella, 12, is going to make sure he keeps his savings safe. He thinks the financial lessons he learned will help him down the road.
“It was a good idea, so that when you’re older you can do that kind of stuff,” he said.
