Planters Bank provides literacy resources to local schools

Originally posted in Delta-Democrat Times and Enterprise-Tocsin

Planters Bank stepped up to make partial or full remote learning in the wake of COVID-19 easier. Thanks to their sponsorship, over 520 students and teachers at 11 schools in Washington, Sunflower, Leeflore and other counties will have free access to Banzai. Banzai is an award-winning online financial literacy program and content library of articles, calculators, and personalizable Coaches. All of these resources are available to students at home or in the classroom via any device that can access the internet.

"Banzai is a web-based financial literacy program. Kids get their own accounts, and they work through assignments that are based on real life," says Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. "But because Planters Bank is sponsoring it, local schools get it for free. More than ever, it's important that kids develop sound financial skills to prepare them for the real world, and Planters Bank realizes that and they're doing something about it."

Banzai content builds a foundation of practical knowledge and gives students the tools to create a sound financial future. While students learn, teachers can easily monitor and grade their progress remotely. After finishing Banzai, students will know how to track where their money is and what it’s for, recognize financial trade-offs, build a budget, and more. At a time when many are facing unprecedented financial challenges, these lessons are invaluable. The Banzai resources are available at planters-bank.teachbanzai.com.