Changing Lives in the Rio Grande Valley
By Solis, Olivia Carmichael
In January, I had the honor of visiting Sam Houston Elementary School in McAllen, where one of our TBA Foundation Board members, Dora Brown of IBC Bank-McAllen, is helping change lives. Twelve years ago, the elementary school embarked on a program that partners with local businesses to teach children how to become responsible adults by creating a microcommunity in their school, complete with a government structure and jobs. The first partner Sam Houston called was Dora, who gives time, money and expertise to the program and is credited with helping recruit many of the school’s other business partners.
Houstonville Mayor Caria Madrigal and City Planner Adonis Cantu.
I first heard about the program in 2003, when IBC Bank-McAllen received a Cornerstone Award for its involvement in Houstonville. Dora also discussed the Houstonville concept at the December Foundation Board meeting. After expressing interest in the program, I was invited by Dora to visit on a day when Brownsville Independent School District representatives were going to be touring the school. IBC BankBrownsville is attempting to create a microcommunity in a Brownsville school.
When our group arrived at the school, we were warmly greeted by the mayor and city planner, who took us on a tour of Houstonville. One-by-one, the children in the “top” positions explained the purpose of their jobs and how they relate to the overall community. There were no written scripts; the children spoke from the heart. They were articulate, poised and self-confident. Nearby, the teachers beamed with pride.
The first stop, naturally, was the bank, where kindergarteners were lined up and counting their “Cougar Cash” before depositing it with the tellers. “You earn it, we save it” is the bank’s motto.
Since April is Financial Literacy Month and April 24 is Teach Children to Save Day, we are featuring the article on Houstonville as an example of what can happen when schools partner with banks. Although it has taken 12 years of hard work to get the program to the level it is today, it all started with a vision shared by teachers, administrators and IBC Bank-McAllen.
One of the Foundation’s goals for this year is to recruit 10 banks that have not been involved in financial education before. We did this by offering 10 free Teach Children to Save kits that could be used on April 24 – or any other day. At press time, we were well on our way to meeting that goal.
That’s the beauty of financial literacy. You don’t have to start big to have an impact. You just have to start.
Olivia Carmichael Solis
Copyright Texas Banker Association Apr 2007
(c) 2007 Texas Banking. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.