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Credit Union Offering Youth Check Card

Jessica Bair/SUNCOAST

THE SUNCOAST SCHOOLS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Port Richey branch, seen here, on Ridge Road is just one of many in the Tampa Bay area. Members can now use a new check card, which debuted Oct.1, that will take five cents from every signature-based transaction, to fund Pasco County public schools.

By Jessica Bair | The Suncoast News

Published: October 20, 2007

PORT RICHEY, Fla. - PORT RICHEY, Fla. - PORT RICHEY, Fla. - In an effort to give back to the communities it serves, Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union has introduced a new innovative check card to aid education.

The Suncoast for Schools Rewards Check Card will give five cents from each transaction to local public schools each time a member uses the card for a signature-based credit transaction, instead of using their PIN number, says spokesperson Danielle Macaluso.

Approximately $553,600 will be generated for children's education initiatives in the extended Tampa Bay area, which includes Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee and Hardee counties.

The funds will go back to each county that the card member resides in, Macaluso says.

This new program is projected to bring more than $1.2 million to public schools for the current school year through the help of more than 438,000 members.

Suncoast Schools FCU has been accruing funds for the 2008 school year contribution since Jan. 1.

"We are proud to support education, and this program will help us give exponentially to the communities that we serve," Tom Dorety, president and chief executive of Suncoast Schools FCU, said.

"The check card gives members an opportunity to support public schools simply by virtue of their relationship with the credit union."

All money raised through the program will be used by the Suncoast for Kids Foundation for school programs and scholarships in the 15 Florida counties Suncoast Schools FCU serves.

The foundation, which was created in 1998, is sponsored entirely by the credit union. All the money it raises goes to organizations and initiatives to assist children on the Suncoast.

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