As part of Continental Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act Initiative, several bank volunteers took a trip across town to The Guadalupe School in Salt Lake City to teach 4th and 5th graders about the basics of banking and personal finance. Working with a bank becomes a large part of each person’s life, and gaining some insight into how financial institutions operate should give any young person a leg up. We will share how The Guadalupe School serves the Salt Lake community, more details about what Continental taught the kids, and how Continental plans to work with The Guadalupe School in the future.
THE GUADALUPE SCHOOL
The Guadalupe School was founded in Salt Lake City in 1966. Suzanne Weiss, in partnership with Father Jerald Merrill of the local Catholic diocese, began teaching English to adult immigrants in Salt Lake City, and Guadalupe School was born. Suzanne quickly realized that not only the adults needed quality education, but their children too. Her students wanted their children to succeed in education and thrive in their new community despite their unique struggles. In response to those concerns, the Guadalupe Primary School opened in 1970. It was later decided that for these children to achieve their full potentials, an earlier intervention was necessary. The Early Learning Center Programs opened in 1992, ensuring school readiness and proper development in those crucial years from birth to kindergarten. Eventually, Guadalupe’s childhood programs expanded up to grade six. The Guadalupe School opened its Rose Park Location in 2014 and continues to help the underserved children in our community.
GUADALUPE AND CONTINENTAL BANK
During our time volunteering, Continental taught each of the two classes the basics of banking. We explained why you use a bank in the first place, how it provides a safe place to store money, and how you can use credit to buy things like a home or car. As more and more of life requires the use of banks to facilitate purchases, having a trusted financial institution becomes more ingrained in our daily lives. Whether it’s paying for school supplies, saving extra money for something they enjoy, starting a business, gaining an understanding how their parents pay for a house, or just providing key insights into how money works. Helping pass our industry knowledge forward can be our way to add additional education and financial literacy training to what each student already receives at school. We hope to do more work with the school and build a lasting relationship in order to make greater strides in financial education for its students.