Maspeth Federal Savings (MFS) hosted several young hockey players from the Middle Village Players (MVP) Hockey League to discuss smart spending habits and deputize them as “Savings Agents” with custom badges and shades on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 13.
MFS President Thomas Rudzewick approached MVP President Paul Pogozelski late last year during the Veterans Day parade to discuss the idea of educating some of the youngest players on finances after the whole bank brainstormed a new campaign and mascot to better communicate with kids for community outreach.
“For the last four years, we’ve been doing financial literacy to try to get an introduction to children to understand that it’s important to save money right from the start,” Rudzewick said. “We’re very happy that kids come and be part of these kind of presentations because it gives them a little understanding, and then the parents can also listen in to see how it helps them know that starting savings at a very young age is incredibly important.”
The bank stayed open late for the presentation, which took place in the lobby of the Middle Village location at 56-18 69th St. Plenty of employees stood around the perimeter to listen with parents. The slideshow discussed the financial woes of Sammy the Savings Squirrel and his quest to save money to buy an unbranded video game console, featuring interactive elements to get the young hockey players to help Sammy reach his goal. The mascot can be traced back to when MFS first opened back in 1947, when original bank employees displayed a piggy-bank squirrel named Sammy in the building. Rudzewick says the bank’s team, in partnership with St. John’s University, decided to bring Sammy back years later and bring him to life with a full costume.
“Anytime that you see something like a special event in the neighborhood with any church, any school… usually one of the top sponsors is MFS,” Pogozelski said to parents after the kids met with Sammy the Savings Squirrel. “When they came to us at the Veterans Day Parade, [I knew] this is something we want to get involved in.”
After the presentation concluded, the kids were given a gift bag with information for parents to open an account for their child to begin learning proper money management sooner. Rudzewick is a fan of hockey himself, as his son played throughout college and ran the hockey program at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington for 10 years. He was happy to finally get the players in for the info session. Rudzewick says MFS will continue to hold the seminars in the future, even visiting schools with Sammy in tow to bring them the program.
