WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –– On the morning of June 24, summer school was about more than reading, writing and arithmetic for students at Greater Lafayette area high schools.

Students at Lafayette Jefferson, William Henry Harrison, and McCutcheon high schools received a visit from Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) President and CEO Bob Falk and New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees. The visit included a presentation about Visa’s Financial Football program, an interactive money management game designed to teach students important money management skills.

PEFCU President and CEO Bob Falk, and New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees talk to Lafayette Jefferson High School students about financial responsibility.

“Today’s event is a very important program – one that I wish I had been exposed to when I was your age,” said Brees. “Not enough kids leave high school with the right knowledge to manage their finances and today’s kids have even more responsibilities at a younger age than I did.”

PEFCU believes the best way to tackle today’s economic crisis and to defend against future challenges is by arming students with knowledge and skills to successfully manage their finances. Through Financial Football students learn about assets and liabilities, savings and interest, advantages and disadvantages of credit and debit cards, and how to create a budget or spending plan.

“Whether these students join the workforce or attend college after high school graduation, their success depends upon their ability to manage their finances,” said Bob Falk, PEFCU president and CEO. “At PEFCU, we’re committed to helping our youth reach their potential.”

PEFCU works with local schools and organizations to teach money management skills to area youth throughout the year. For more information about ways PEFCU can help your organization or school meet its financial literacy goals, please contact Kristy Robb at 765.497.7442.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Even more children will benefit from Purdue University’s award-winning Purdue Athletes Life Success Program this summer as the camp, its activities and its support keeps growing.

More than 400 children will attend the June 18 through July 17 program also known as PALS. Last year more than 350 children attended, and this year’s program has a waiting list. The camp, for children 8-14, is free for the participants, who are selected based on referrals from local schools.

Drew Brees visits with campers at Purdue's 2007 National Youth Sports Program. The program, which is now known as Purdue Athletes Life Success Program, continues to grow with more than 400 campers. Camp activities focus on fitness, sports, financial literacy, stress management and nutrition. (Purdue University file photo/David Umberger)

“This program began seven years ago as a way to encourage children to embrace a healthy lifestyle through sports and athletics, but now it is about much more,” says Bill Harper, camp director and professor and head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology.

“Fitness is still the foundation of our program, and that’s why we space activity stations apart so campers are guaranteed 70 minutes of walking a day, and this year we will be using pedometers as well. But we also want these youngsters to be successful in all areas of life, so we offer a range of activities including units on computers, stress management, nutrition and financial literacy. We also are adding orchestra, specifically a violin unit, to this year’s program.

“But, the beauty of what we can offer these children has evolved because the local funding base and community support keeps growing. For example, Alcoa is providing pedometers for the children, and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra is sharing its violins and instructors.”

PALS, formerly the National Youth Sports Program, changed its name last summer, thanks to support from Drew Brees’ The Brees Dream Foundation and Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union, which is known as PEFCU.

The former Boilermaker All-America quarterback, current quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and PEFCU spokesperson, has visited the camp annually since 2003. His visit to the camp this year is sponsored by PEFCU as part of its emphasis to support local youth.

PEFCU also supports the camp unit on financial literacy. PEFCU employees, who work with many classrooms during the school year on financial wellness topics, teach this course.

Before the name change, the national program honored Purdue’s camps for its achievements, including being named best new program in 2002 and special recognition for its 2004 and 2005 programs. This year the American Heart Association will honor Harper with the Cor Vitae Award for enhancing the community through innovation, philanthropy, vision and leadership.

The National Youth Sports Program began in 1969, and in 2005 there were more than 200 programs nationwide. However, the program’s federal funding was reduced, and in 2006 Purdue’s program was one 56 in the nation to receive partial funding. Federal funding was withdrawn from all National Youth Sports Programs in 2007, but Purdue’s camp successfully continued through university and private donor support.

More than 1,000 children have attended since the camp began in 2002. The students, in teams of 15, rotate through activity stations that include basketball, swimming, soccer and volleyball. The older campers get to participate in yoga, flag football, judo and table tennis.

Purdue researchers in the Department of Health and Kinesiology also are studying how participation in the camp benefits children by measuring their physical fitness, academic achievement and social relationships year round. Harper says many children often lose weight during camp, and anecdotal evidence from the local schools shows that participation in the camp has a significant positive effect on education, attitudes and sportsmanship.

The Department of Health and Kinesiology is housed in the College of Liberal Arts. The camp also has received assistance from Purdue’s Office of the Provost, Recreational Sports Facilities, Residence Halls, Information Technology at Purdue, Purdue University Student Health Center and the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) invites the Greater Lafayette community to attend a no-cost Identity Theft and Fraud Workshop at 6 p.m., on Thursday, June 18, at the Purdue Research Park Technology Center located at 3000 Kent Ave, West Lafayette.

One in five consumers becomes a victim of some kind of identity theft each year. The results can be devastating: damage to one’s credit report, average monetary losses of $1,200 or more, and nearly 30 hours of personal time spent to resolve the issue. Attend this workshop and learn from local experts who work in PEFCU’s Risk Department ways to fight fraud.

Tips will be provided on the following:

• How to protect yourself from identity theft
• How to identify fraud scams
• What to do if you are a fraud victim

This is a no-cost seminar and is open to the public. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. Seats are limited. Reserve your spot by Tuesday, June 16, by calling 765.497.7455, e-mailing mfederer@purdueefcu.com, or registering at www.purdueefcu.com under “Events Calendar”.

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. –- Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) invites the Greater Lafayette community to visit any PEFCU branch from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Wednesday, February 25, to enjoy refreshments and celebrate PEFCU Charter Day.

During the 1950s and 1960s, an era when many financial institutions focused on commercial and significant personal financing needs, a group of Purdue University employees recognized the need for a local financial institution where they, their colleagues and their families could save and borrow money safely and at a fair interest rate. Through their determination and years of hard work, PEFCU was officially chartered on February 25, 1969, with 18 founding members and seven charter members.

What began in a small office on Purdue’s campus and with a simple cigar box to hold members’ funds, has in 40 years grown and evolved to include seven regular branches, two in-school branches, and a robust offering of online and mobile banking services. PEFCU offers its members an array of financial products including locally serviced mortgage and consumer loan products — first mortgages, home equity loans, vehicle loans, credit cards, secured loans and more — savings and money market accounts, checking accounts with direct deposit, individual retirement accounts and business accounts.

Today, when so many financial institutions are struggling in a weakened economy, PEFCU remains strong because it has stayed true to its original purpose—people helping people. Its second-, third- and fourth-quarter 2008 membership satisfaction scores set record highs with an average score of 97.37 percent for the three quarters, illustrating its core commitment to meeting members’ needs.

Future plans for PEFCU include further evaluation of members’ needs, enhanced technological products and services, increased financial education opportunities and continued support of Greater Lafayette not-for-profit organizations.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) has announced the promotion of Nikki Gaylord to vice president of lending.

Nikki Gaylord, Vice President Lending

“In her previous role as assistant vice president of lending, Nikki has mentored and coached her staff on ways to best serve our members,” said Bob Falk, president and chief executive officer. “We look forward to her taking a more active role in the development of our long-term lending strategy.”

Gaylord is a graduate of Leadership Lafayette Career Leadership Academy and Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Management School. She joined PEFCU in 1995 and will use her total of 18 years of lending experience to guide the mortgage and consumer lending teams. Under her guidance is an array of mortgage and consumer loan products including first mortgages, home equity loans, vehicle loans, credit cards and secured loans. She is also involved in the development of a new loan product set to launch in 2009 that will supplement federal educational funding provided to Purdue students and their parents when federal funds don’t cover all their expenses.

PEFCU remains one of the few local financial institutions to offer local servicing for the life of every mortgage.