Credit Union ONE helps to build financial literacy with Project Genesis



Several Project Genesis Students stop for a photo with Tony King,

Credit Union ONE Receiving Hospital Branch Manager (Back row,

middle) and John Kozich, Credit Union ONE Executive Director

of Community Relations (Back row, on right)

Ferndale, Michigan – For the second year running, Credit Union ONE has partnered with Detroit Medical Center’s (DMC) Project Genesis and given an educational presentation on saving and credit to their participating students.

Through DMC's Project Genesis, high school and first-year college students get hands-on experience in the healthcare industry by working at sites throughout the Detroit Medical Center.

The Project began back in 2006 as an eight-week program for students going into their junior or senior year of high school. Students may be selected to be in the program for up to three years. Selection criteria includes obtaining letters of recommendation, writing an essay about what education means to them, their plans to pursue a medical career, and why they thought they should be in the program. The program gives students an opportunity to utilize and enhance their skills, as well as allowing them to see what working in the medical field is all about.

Mr. John Kozich, Executive Director of Community Relations for Credit Union ONE spoke to the 120 participants for approximately one hour about what to expect as they enter their financial adult life, and how to avoid some of the pitfalls associated with the financial decisions they may make. Main discussion topics focused on credit and savings: what is it and why is it important; how to build, protect and monitor it; and what to do if you have a problem with it. Students had the opportunity to ask questions that they had about what they may experience or are already experiencing in their lives.

According to Mr. Kozich, “The best that we can do for our youth is to educate them, and give them a good financial footing. We are pleased that the DMC once again reached out to us to help their students as they enter into adulthood.”

Credit Union ONE, headquartered in Ferndale Michigan for over seventy years, offers a wide array of financial services and access to over 28,000 ATM’s nationwide, serving 106,000 members, with eighteen offices in three major metropolitan areas, including Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids and Traverse City. For more information go to cuone.org or "like us" on Facebook

Contact Judi Desilets, Director of Public Relations for Credit Union ONE, 248-584-5224, Judi_Desilets@cuone.org