September is “College Savings Month” and the M&M Area Community Foundation (MMACF) is changing expectations with their Future Fund children’s savings account program. For the past four years, the Future Fund has encouraged children and their families to think differently.
Saving for ANY form of education after high school is important, whether a student plans to take one class, enroll at a two-year institution, complete a specialized training program – the sky is the limit, and the Future Fund can help pay for it.
The Future Fund began in 2019 when the Community Foundation established $50 savings accounts for area kindergarten students. More money is added to every child’s account yearly, until they graduate. These incentives are made possible through the financial “adoption” of classes by businesses, organizations and individuals.
Each year the Foundation visits participating schools throughout Marinette and Menominee Counties to share the message that everyone has the ability to BE and DO whatever they want. Financial literacy and career awareness are key components in helping to reinforce the belief that success can be attained through any type of post-secondary education or training – not just college.
“This is the first year Waupaca Foundry has contributed $3,000 to ‘adopt’ a class through the Future Fund,” said Phil Eatherton, HR Manager at Waupaca Foundry. “We are happy to be part of this partnership of educational accessibility. Our communities are home to an array of career opportunities, and the Future Fund is an impactful way of planning ahead to meet growing and expanding workforce needs.”
Having students look at the world around them in a new and empowering way is the reason the Community Foundation established the Future Fund. One of the many goals is for students to break out of generational or systematic mindsets about educational opportunities. According to research, children with any amount of savings between $1 and $499 are three times more likely to graduate from high school, and four times more likely to pursue and achieve a higher educational level than children without dedicated savings.
The MMACF continues to need community contributions for the growth and expansion of this savings account program. For more information on how to give back to our communities via the Future Fund, please contact the Foundation at 906-864-3599. Checks for this Fund may be mailed to the Foundation at 1110 10th Avenue, Suite L-1, Menominee, MI 49858 or made online at www.mmacf.org.
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