Philadelphia, PA – October 2, 2017 – Today in Philadelphia, NFL Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champion and Eagles' strong safety Malcolm Jenkins, joined the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania State Treasury and Visa in an effort to help high school students sharpen their fiscal skills through the statewide expansion of an interactive money management video game.
Successfully launched in Pennsylvania in 2012, Financial Football has been used by thousands across the state in homes and classrooms. The Department of Banking and Securities and the Department of Education, along with the State Treasury, will be collaborating to renew and expand the statewide program, which includes an online component for all Pennsylvanians. DVDs with additional teaching resources will be provided to schools and various community organizations throughout the state. Visa will be working with the state agencies to share the financial information and skills with students.
"Governor Wolf and I want our commonwealth's young people to learn how to achieve financial stability, which can create life-long financial independence," said Secretary of Banking and Securities Robin L. Weismann. "We are pleased that all Pennsylvanians can access an excellent financial learning tool like Financial Football at no cost to them."
"Financial Football is an exciting and successful way to get students interested in personal finance. It helps them develop a sound money management playbook," said David Volkman, Executive Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Education. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with the Department of Banking and Securities and the State Treasury to provide this important resource to students across our state."
"The Pennsylvania Treasury Department is a strong advocate of financial education and helping young people learn early how important it is to make good financial decisions," said Joe Torsella, Pennsylvania State Treasurer. "Financial Football teaches financial skills that will last a lifetime. The Treasury Department is proud to work with Visa and the Department of Banking and Securities, as well as the Department of Education to support this initiative."
At Bodine High School, representatives from each department and Jenkins rolled up their sleeves and faced off with teams of students in a hard-fought, high energy game of Financial Football. Jenkins, shared his personal experiences on the importance of money management with students.
"On or off the field, practice and teamwork are the key to success. It's important for students to learn to make smart money management decisions before heading off to college or the entering the workforce," said Jenkins. "Government and companies working together to support parents, teachers and mentors within the community can give kids a strong background in financial literacy."
Visa has teamed with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS for eleven seasons on Financial Football to help students tackle their financial futures. The centerpiece of Visa's nationwide education initiative, Financial Football puts students' fiscal knowledge to the test in a simulation game environment by combining the structure and rules of the NFL with financial education questions. It is available online at pennsylvania.financialfootball.com.
"At Visa we believe that the best path toward financial literacy for both students and consumers is the partnership between the public and private sector. We are most effective spreading the message of sound money management when we work together," said Hugh Norton, Head of U.S. Financial Education, Visa Inc. "We are proud to join with the Department of Banking and Securities, the Department of Education, Treasurer Torsella and the NFL with the shared goal of improving the financial literacy of all Pennsylvanians."
The game, which is accompanied by a classroom curriculum, has been distributed to high schools and middle schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia since Financial Football's launch in 2006.
Financial Football is part of Practical Money Skills (www.practicalmoneyskills.com) a free, award-winning, teacher-tested and teacher-approved financial education program that reaches millions of people around the world each year. The program was launched in 1995 and is now available in 16 languages across 42 countries. At Practical Money Skills, educators, parents and students can access free educational resources including personal finance articles, games, lesson plans and more. Visa also runs What's My Score (www.whatsmyscore.org), a leading higher education consumer awareness program.
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks – VisaNet – that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead with prepaid or pay later with credit products. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/about-visa/our_business.html, visacorporate.tumblr.com and @VisaNews.
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