Breaking the bank mystique

Lauren Vane

Whether it’s scraping pennies together to buy candy at the corner

market or going on a toy store shopping spree, it’s easy to get

children excited about money. But it’s saving money that’s the hard

part.

Armed with a giant, shiny red bus, balloons and juice boxes, Wells

Fargo Bank set out Monday afternoon to show children at Oak View

Elementary School that saving money can actually be fun.

“This kind of attraction goes a long way with introducing them to

financial programs,” said Zayda Garcia, executive director of El

Viento, an after-school program for local children that partnered

with Wells Fargo to make the bus visit possible.

The bank and representatives from El Viento were there to teach

financial literacy to a community in need of knowledge and

information about savings and banking, Garcia said.

The event was a family affair. Throughout the day, bank

representatives fielded questions from parents and assisted some in

opening new accounts.

As school let out for the afternoon, students -- some holding

hands with a parent -- lined up to get a chance to explore the Wells

Fargo bus. Once inside, students sat in front of individual computers

and listened to a bank representative talk to them about saving their

money.

El Viento partnered with Wells Fargo to bring the bus to the

community because El Viento’s mission is to teach life skills to the

students, Garcia said.

“We’re looking to take our students out of the community so they

can see the world outside of Oak View,” Garcia said.

Using cardboard banks and reward systems, Wells Fargo is hopeful

children will learn early on the importance of saving money, said

Cathy Blundell branch manager of the neighborhood Wells Fargo.

“It really starts with saving,” Blundell said.

Financial information at Monday’s event was provided in both

English and Spanish, as the majority of the Oak View neighborhood is

Spanish-speaking.

“Here, if we want to touch the community, we have to be able to

provide [information] in their own language,” Blundell said.

The Wells Fargo bus has traveled across the country, so far

visiting more than 20 states, said Sharon Ziola, a sales development

consultant with Wells Fargo.

Beginning with children in the fourth grade and continuing on to

adults, the bus’ mission is to provide education on topics such as

bill paying and identity theft, Ziola said.

“What’s cool with these kids... though they’re a little young, we

want them to realize that you can’t really function without a bank,”

Ziola said.