Congresswoman Lois Capps Joins Montecito Bank & Trust for Teach Children to Save Day

Santa Barbara, Calif. – Montecito Bank & Trust’s tradition of educating our local children about financial responsibility continues to grow. The bank has been supporting national Teach Children to Save Day for close to a decade, and this year 38 bank volunteers reached over 1,700 students from 15 schools in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties during the first two weeks of April. Bank associates worked with students from grades K through 12 and discussed key financial topics including saving, budgeting and protecting personal information.

An Ellwood Elementary School classroom received an extra special treat on April 11th as Congresswoman Lois Capps joined Montecito Bank & Trust Senior Vice President and Director of Organizational Development and Human Resources Judy Guillermo-Newton and Financial Literacy Coordinator Brianna Aguilar to talk about this important topic.

Congresswoman Capps said, “I was happy to participate in this national program and witness yet another wonderful example of how active our local community is in supporting our children. These students’ enthusiastic interest brought to life just how interested they were in learning these valuable saving lessons. Thank you to Montecito Bank & Trust for your leadership role in teaching financial literacy in our local schools and nonprofit special programs.”

Janet A. Garufis, President and Chief Executive Officer said, “Our associates are so passionate about giving back to local students, and I couldn’t be more proud. It’s great to see how many of our associates are taking time out of their busy schedules to help educate children about issues that so often go overlooked. Teach Children to Save Day has grown into a wonderful tradition for Montecito Bank & Trust, and as the number of requests for our volunteers has grown over the years, the program has evolved into a year-round initiative for the bank. We are constantly working with local schools and nonprofit organizations to educate youth and adults in the community about key financial concepts, and our associates are always eager to volunteer. This is just another example of how Montecito Bank & Trust connects with our local communities.

We are fortunate to have Congresswoman Capps take the time to join us today at Ellwood Elementary. Her support reinforces that what we are doing is truly valuable, and that our goal of growing financial literacy throughout our communities is critical.”

In all, fifteen schools and organizations received a visit from Montecito Bank & Trust including: Adams Elementary, Adelante Charter School, Ellwood School, Franklin Elementary, Girls Inc. of Carpinteria, Hollister School, La Patera Elementary School, Mountain View School, Notre Dame School, Santa Barbara Community Academy, Santa Barbara High School, Sunset Elementary School in Oak View, Washington Elementary, and White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village.

The educational goals included teaching children the importance of saving, how to plan for their purchases, determining needs and wants, and how to make their money grow. Older children learned about the compounding of interest, budgeting for things like college and buying a car, and some credit card basics.

National Teach Children to Save Day, which began in 1997, is part of the American Bankers Association Education Foundation’s Teach Children to Save Program, committed to developing and providing education programs that lead to financial literacy. Each year thousands of bankers across the country trade in their balance sheets for blackboards to help fill the need for financial education in schools. To date, the program has reached over 5 million students. Montecito Bank & Trust is working hard to help achieve this worthy goal.

Montecito Bank & Trust, an S Corporation, is the oldest and largest locally owned community bank in the tri-counties. Founded in 1975, with branch offices located in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Solvang, Montecito, Carpinteria, Ventura, and Westlake Village, the bank offers a variety of competitive deposit and lending solutions for businesses and consumers, including business loans and lines of credit; commercial real estate finance; SBA loans; consumer loans; credit cards; merchant services; and online services, including mobile banking

and cash management. Its Wealth Management Division provides full investment management as well as trust services for all branch office markets.