PENSACOLA, Fla. -
In a move popular with both kids and parents, Pen Air is seeking to both educate kids about money and possibly grab newer, and younger, members for the future according to VP of Marketing Patty Veal.
The teller window is highly visible with dolphins decorating it and features a step for the smaller kids and a bell to alert a teller to walk over to the special lane.
The first-available teller assists kids with their transactions. Only kids in the club are permitted to use the window and parents accompanying their children can make a quick deposit as long as the Penny Savers member is present. Each of Pen Air's 14 branches have a Kids Club teller window.
"That's been real popular. More popular than we thought," she said. "People in line wish they had a kid with them."
Veal said the Penny Savers club teaches kids to save, financial responsibility and gets them used to coming into the credit union, a practice she hopes will continue into adulthood.
Pen Air's Kids Club is no small affair: the Penny Savers program was launched in 1997 with a newsletter, prizes for kids who save their money and small tokens handed out for each deposit.
Kids can exchange their tokens for school supplies or items such as a water bottle. Parents frequently open accounts for newborns and grandparents open CDs or buy savings bonds for their grandchildren's future. The Penny Savers club now boasts 4,500 members.
Veal said Pen Air has taken its kids club further than most credit unions with organized trips to the local zoo and an agreement with area Subway shops that provides free cookies to club members.
"Parents love it. If you can make kids happy then you'll make the parents happy," Veal said.
Veal said the club mascot "Penny the Porpoise" was chosen as dolphins are nearly universally popular and not seen as biased toward either sex.
Pen Air FCU has more than 93,000 members and $753-million in assets.
