(November 8 - Albany, NY) – The New York Credit Union Foundation and 19 credit unions from across the state have launched a two-year pilot program intended to provide quality educational resources to public schools across New York State.

The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM is an offshoot of brass|MAGAZINE, a publication born from an idea by a student in a high school business class when he was just 18. The student, Bryan Sims, wanted to start a magazine that would be entirely for young adults, by young adults. His vision was to create a resource for young adults about how life and money interact, while making it an entertaining and engaging topic. Sims launched brass|MAGAZINE from his dorm room when he was 19.

The publication, which now reaches more than 300,000 people between the ages of 16 and 25 across the United States, has grown into a company that helps young adults understand the money side of life™. According to Generation Broke: The Growth of Debt Among Young Americans, published by Demos, a New York-based non-partisan public policy research organization, young adults have the second highest bankruptcy rate in the country. On average, many of them are paying more than a quarter of their income toward their debt.

The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM hopes to change that. Together with the New York Credit Union Foundation, its credit union sponsors and organizational partners, brass|MEDIA is publishing a student edition of brass|MAGAZINE for the high school classroom. The no-cost program comes at a good time for tight school budgets. As of March 2006, at least 30 states introduced legislation that addressed financial education in public schools.

"We are able to launch the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM in New York thanks to the collaborative efforts of the New York Credit Union Foundation, the New York State Credit Union League, and the generous support received from New York credit union sponsors. With their backing, we are able to provide copies of the publication to every public high school in the state for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years," noted the now 23-year-old CEO, Bryan Sims.

"Understanding how money works is an essential life skill. Many young adults never receive adequate training about how to make money work for them. Our goal is to reach out to young adults to help them prepare for a strong future," added Sims.

"As credit unions, our goal is to educate our members so they can make better financial choices. We understand the importance of reaching out to young adults and teaching them how to be better savers and how to build credit," said program sponsor Paula Stopera, president/CEO of Capital Communications FCU. "The information brass|MAGAZINE provides speaks directly to our young adult members, and makes them want to learn how to create their own financial success. We are thrilled to be part of an effort that will get brass into the hands of more young adults."

"I applaud New York's Credit Unions for taking active measures to improve the financial fitness of our young people," said Assemblyman John J. McEneny (D-Albany) when the program was recently unveiled at Albany High School. "The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM is an excellent vehicle to appeal to high-school students in my district to gain a better understanding about money and how it impacts their lives."

"The program also demonstrates the collaborative spirit of New York credit unions," said Diane LaVigna-Wixted, executive director of the New York Credit Union Foundation. The Foundation's role is working in partnership with brass|MEDIA on the program's coordination, outreach, promotion and fundraising.

The brass|STUDENT PROGRAM is made up of three integrated components:

• brass|MAGAZINE: Student editions will be delivered to all New York State public high schools three times a year (September, November, Febraury), with a fourth issue available online (May), for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years.
• brass|TEACHER RESOURCE CENTER: Online access to lesson plans, activities, strategies and tools for teachers to support the use of brass|MAGAZINE in the classroom.
• CREDIT UNIONS for COLLEGE: A searchable database for students of scholarships offered by credit unions throughout the state.

Announcement of the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM were made at Albany High School in Albany, Irondequoit High School in Rochester, and at George Fowler High School in Syracuse. Each announcement was followed by a student roundtable discussion on what today's youth do and do not know about money. Sims moderated the sessions.

As of Oct. 31, the following credit unions have signed on as program sponsors:

• GOLD SPONSOR Municipal Credit Union (New York City)
• SILVER SPONSORS AmeriCU Credit Union (Rome) First Source Federal Credit Union (New Hartford) Bethpage Federal Credit Union (Bethpage) Hudson River Community Credit Union (Corinth) Capital Communications Federal Credit Union (Albany) Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union (Kingston) Empire Federal Credit Union (Syracuse) Palisades Federal Credit Union (Pearl River) Financial Trust Federal Credit Union (Cheektowaga) Suffolk Federal Credit Union (Medford) First New York Federal Credit Union (Schenectady) WCTA Federal Credit Union (Sodus)
• BRONZE SPONSORS CONTRIBUTING SPONSOR Advantage Federal Credit Union (Rochester) ACMG Federal Credit Union (Solvay) Members United Corporate Federal Credit Union (Albany) TCT Federal Credit Union (Ballston Spa) Power Federal Credit Union (Syracuse) Sunmark Federal Credit Union (Schenectady) The Summit Federal Credit Union (Rochester)

brass|MEDIA Inc., a young adult media company, produces brass|MAGAZINE, a lifestyle magazine with a money twist. Written for young adults, about young adults, by young adults, brass|MAGAZINE helps its audience understand how to make, manage and multiply money. For more information on the magazine or the brass|STUDENT PROGRAM, go to www.brassmagazine.com.

Credit unions are not-for-profit, member-owned, financial institutions controlled by their members. As not-for-profit institutions, credit union earnings are returned to their member owners in the form of lower loan rates, higher savings rates and dividends. Since 1989, credit unions have ranked first in customer satisfaction in the annual American Banker/Gallup poll of financial institutions.

The New York Credit Union Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the New York State Credit Union League, works to help improve the financial literacy and independence of New Yorkers. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.nycuf.org.