MADISON, Wis. — The Stephenson National Bank & Trust, headquartered in Marinette, Wis., has been selected as the winner of the Wisconsin Bankers Foundation’s prestigious 2022 Financial Education Innovation Award. The award was presented at a special luncheon on February 9, 2023 during the Wisconsin Bankers Association’s Bank Executives Conference in Wisconsin Dells, the largest banking event in Wisconsin.
“We congratulate the team at The Stephenson National Bank & Trust for finding a creative way to continue their financial education efforts when they couldn’t visit classrooms in person due to the pandemic,” said Rose Oswald Poels, WBF Board chair and WBA president and CEO. “Their resources continue to be utilized by teachers and parents and will be accessible for years to come.”
The WBF Financial Education Innovation Award recognizes a bank that has taken a unique approach to promoting financial literacy and has exhibited exemplary dedication to expanding financial education in its community. Daniel Peterson, SNBT president and CEO, and Lisa Hower, SNBT financial literacy coordinator and BSA compliance specialist II, accepted the award on behalf of the bank and its financial literacy team.
The 2022 award recognized an effort to turn an activity that bankers had done in the classroom before (for example, in conjunction with the annual Teach Children to Save Day in April) into a game show, “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.” The kid contestants — who were the children of banker volunteers — had a chance to taste both the generic and name brand options, and the host, Penny Saver, showed them just how much they could save in their piggy banks by choosing the lower cost option. The concept for the game show was created by the bank’s financial literacy team and executed by employees in various areas of the bank. The reach of the project extended far beyond the traditional classroom presentations thanks to the creation of web-based resources, outreach to teachers in multiple districts, distribution by employees to their friends and families, and a successful social media campaign.
