Bowie, MD – May 27, 2016 – Today, at Bowie High School in Maryland, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins joined SECU of Maryland, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) and Visa Inc. in an effort to help high school students sharpen their fiscal skills through the statewide launch of an interactive money management video game.
"At Visa we believe that the best path toward financial literacy for both students and consumers is the partnership between the public and private sector. We are most effective spreading the message of sound money management when we work together," said Hugh Norton, Head of U.S. Financial Education, Visa Inc. "We are proud to join with Congressman Hoyer, SECU of Maryland and the NFL with the shared goal of improving the financial literacy of all Marylanders."
"Equipping our nation's youth with a roadmap to financial freedom and success is a cooperative effort between families, schools, the community and the government," said Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD). Representative Hoyer is a leading voice on fiscal responsibility in Maryland and across the United States. Congressman Hoyer is committed to reducing the deficit and putting the U.S. on a fiscally sustainable path. "We want to be sure that all Marylanders know that Financial Football is easy to access and available at no cost to them," he added.
"SECU of Maryland is a firm advocate of financial education and helping students learn early how important it is to make good financial decisions," said Peggy Tucker, Senior Vice President of Retail Banking for SECU of Maryland. "Financial Football teaches players how to set a budget, how to save and even how credit and investing work. These are skills that will last a lifetime. SECU of Maryland is proud to work with Visa and Rep. Hoyer to support this important initiative."
At Bowie High School, Congressman Hoyer and the NFL completion percentage leader, Kirk Cousins, rolled up their sleeves and faced off with teams of students in a hard-fought, high-energy game of Financial Football. Two-time offensive player of the week, Cousins, shared his personal experiences on the importance of money management with students.
"On or off the field, practice and teamwork are the key to success. It's important for students to learn to make smart money management decisions before heading off to college or the entering the workforce," said Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. "Government and companies working together to support parents, teachers and mentors within the community can give kids a strong background in financial literacy."
In its tenth season, Financial Football is the centerpiece of Visa's nationwide education initiative, with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS, designed to help students tackle their financial futures. Financial Football is available online at www.practicalmoneyskills.com/financialfootball/ and puts students' fiscal knowledge to the test in a simulation game environment by combining the structure and rules of the NFL with financial education questions of varying difficulty. Visa has also released the game as a free Android or iOS app. Delete: "on iTunes, along with an . Delete: "on iTunes, along with an iPhone app.
The game is accompanied by a classroom curriculum and has been distributed to high schools and middle schools in 49 states including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia since Financial Football's launch in 2006.
Financial Football is part of Practical Money Skills for Life (www.practicalmoneyskills.com) a free, award-winning, teacher-tested and teacher-approved financial education program that reaches millions of people around the world each year. The program was launched in 1995 and is now available in 16 languages in 42 countries. At Practical Money Skills for Life, educators, parents and students can access free educational resources including personal finance articles, games, lesson plans and more. Visa also runs What's My Score (www.whatsmyscore.org), a leading higher education consumer awareness program.
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced processing networks – VisaNet – that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead of time with prepaid or pay later with credit products. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/about-visa/our_business.html, visacorporate.tumblr.com and @VisaNews.
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