Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2014
Julia Winer
Assistant Director of Communications
860-509-3666
jwiner@crec.org
American Eagle Federal Credit Union Fund Donation Helps Students
Transition to College and Career
American Eagle Federal Credit Union provided CREC with a generous donation of $1,000 to CREC Magnet Schools
to assist students in transitioning to college and career. The grant was awarded from the American Eagle Federal
Credit Union Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
“This donation from the American Eagle Federal Credit Union Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is
sincerely appreciated,” said Nancy Frede, Job Coach for CREC’s Student Transition Program. “The donation was
used to purchase career-wear for our seniors for job interviews, college interviews, and job shadowing experiences.”
CREC Magnet Schools are committed to providing students with access to learning opportunities that ease their
transition to college and career. With support from the district and funding from the American Eagle Federal Credit
Union, Frede is offering career clubs at each of the district’s high schools. The eight-week course is offered locally at
each school and includes lessons on creating a resume, cover letter, and portfolio, accessing career websites,
researching a company, applying for work online, networking, navigating transportation, customer service skills
and financial literacy, interviewing techniques, and communications skills such as managing anger or difficult
situations.
During the course, students will also learn about appropriate attire for formal interviews and professional careers.
Each student completing the course is allowed to select a new or gently-used interview or work-appropriate outfit
from CREC’s “Reach for the Stars” store. Funding from American Eagle Credit Union will support the purchase of
clothing, shoes, and accessories for the store. The program expects to dress more than 50 students this year.
CREC is grateful to the American Eagle Federal Credit Union for their ongoing partnership, which has extended
beyond financial support. Representatives from area branches of the American Eagle Federal Credit Union will be
visiting the career club at each high school to talk about financial literacy. In addition, American Eagle Federal
Credit Union has provided financial literacy training classes for students at the CREC Greater Hartford Academy of
Arts in areas such as banking terms, how to open a checking or savings account, check writing, using the ATMs,
online banking, and creating a budget. In the future, the partnership is exploring the possibility of job shadowing
opportunities for high school students and looks to integrate financial literacy into CREC’s elementary and middle
schools, including hosting tours at nearby American Eagle Federal Credit Union branches.
Capitol Region Education Council
www.crec.org
(Left to right) Teresa Knox Senior Vice President, American Eagle Federal Credit Union; Christina Peterman, Development
Officer, CREC; Nancy Frede, Job Coach for Student Transitions program, CREC Magnet Schools.
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The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, established in 1925, is the community foundation for 29 communities in the Hartford
region. It is dedicated to putting philanthropy into action to create lasting solutions that result in vibrant communities within the
Greater Hartford region. It receives gifts from generous individuals, families, and organizations and, in 2013, awarded grants of more
than $29 million to a broad range of area nonprofits. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860.548.1888.
The American Eagle Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative headquartered in Glastonbury, CT. It is
Connecticut’s largest community credit union with nearly 104,000 members and $1.4 billion in assets. It provides financial services
to residents and businesses in Hartford, Middlesex, and Tolland counties in Connecticut. It operates 13 retail banking offices in
Bloomfield, Cromwell, East Hartford, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Manchester, Newington, Plainville, Southington, South
Windsor, Vernon, and West Hartford. The Credit Union was founded in 1935 by employees of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and was the
80th federal credit union chartered in the United States. Member deposits are federally insured up to $250,000 by the National Credit
Union Administration (NCUA). For more information, visit americaneagle.org.
The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a
wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the
region. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students
annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 19 interdistrict magnet schools. More information
about CREC or CREC’s award-winning magnet schools is available at www.crec.org
Capitol Region Education Council
www.crec.org