"Awesome Bucks" are . . . well, Awesome

Sometimes an idea that looks good on paper is even more amazing, or “awesome”, when put into practice. The Awesome Bucks program at Salem Parrish Middle School is just that. According to Deb Wilding, VP Branch Sales Manager at West Coast Bank in Salem, OR, what started eight years ago as a short talk to help kids learn the basics of savings grew into a micro economy and an incredible learning tool.

Students at Parrish Middle School earn “Awesome Bucks” for acts of kindness, good citizenship, maintaining a place on the honor roll, and many other positive learning behaviors. The kids are encouraged to save up their Awesome Bucks to shop for great items like sporting equipment, bikes, back packs, and even gift certificates. Once a week, West Coast Bank staffs a teller window at the school where the young savers can deposit Awesome Bucks and check their balances.

“We calculate their savings interest once a quarter and the kids are always very inquisitive about how the interest is calculated,” explained Wilding. In fact, the school has seen some surprising successes from the program far beyond learning about savings. Children have shown positive behavior changes, better grades, and more self control.

Positive stories about Awesome Bucks abound. Wilding recalls one especially touching story. Fearing some form of bullying, the school investigated why three children were giving all of their Awesome Bucks to a fourth child. It turned out those three children all had bicycles while the fourth did not, so they were giving him their Bucks so he could save enough to earn his own bicycle.

Wilding credits Parrish Middle School's outreach coordinator, Laurie Baird, with the success of Awesome Bucks. “I can’t emphasize enough how vital Laurie was to starting and growing the program. She makes the announcements, works with the teachers, coordinates with the other business partners and plans the bank days. She is the one who convinced the teachers to really get involved with the program.”

West Cost Bank would like to expand the program into more schools. All we need are more people like Deb Wilding and Laurie Baird to help make it a reality. If you are interested in learning more about the Awesome Bucks, please contact Deb Wilding at Wildingd@wcb.com.