Real Solutions - A National Credit Union Foundation Program

After spearheading efforts for six years, the Washington Credit Union Foundation (WCUF) will be passing fundraising, outreach and administrative responsibilities for Biz Kid$ to the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) to ensure the program gains the maximum support from the credit union system.

“This is a great day for Biz Kid$ and everyone who has been involved in this amazingly successful project,” said RoxAnne Kruger, Executive Director of WCUF and Biz Kid$ project manager on behalf of credit unions since 2005. “It is because of credit unions and their social conscience that they support this show, which raises awareness of financial literacy and entrepreneurship across the country.”

The show, which premiered in January 2008, quickly grew into a national phenomenon. It has aired on over 340 public television stations in all 50 states with a viewership reach of 271 million people. Biz Kid$ has the highest recorded carriage of any children’s program have ever released by American Public Television, with a viewing audience of more than 1.2 million per episode. The website is currently receiving more than 100,000 unique visitors a month hailing from about 140 countries.

Others began to take notice of the show and its important message. In its first four seasons, Biz Kid$ has garnered seven Emmy nominations—winning once in 2009—and rang the closing bell ceremonies at both the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ Exchange for the past three years in conjunction with National Financial Literacy Month. In 2010, it also won the credit union industry’s most prestigious honor, the Herb Wegner Award. More recently, the Internal Revenue Service and Ernst & Young have started using the program in their outreach efforts, which speaks to the quality of the product.

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