HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico Federal Credit Union's Financial Empowerment Center inside Regency Mall is now offering weekly classes for adults in personal finance.
“We are excited to offer vital classes to the community. The more you understand the ins and outs of how finances work, the more empowered you are to make healthy choices in your journey," Henrico FCU Financial Education and Marketing Manager Charity Rupp said. "Before my own time at the credit union, I made a lot of mistakes that classes like these would have helped me to avoid. We are happy to pay it forward to the community with this new financial education facility.”
The Financial Empowerment Center, which opened in partnership with Henrico County Public Schools in 2023, started offering mini workshops on a range of topics, including banking budgets and understanding probate, last summer.
Jason Ritter, Henrico FCU's senior vice president of member experience, said the credit union has been offering financial education for elementary and high school students for two decades.
"Behaviors are sometimes learned and [people] are not taught the good behaviors. So the gap exists from maybe the parents not having the education to show good financial behaviors and financial habits," Ritter said. "And that spills over once you then get out of high school. You weren't taught necessarily the right way to do things."
Additionally, Ritter said the Oak Complex at the former Highland Springs High School is being redesigned and repurposed as a community spot that will allow for workshops in a classroom setting as well as individualized coaching sessions tailored to specific needs.
"I came up from a banking background. My father was a banker. My mother was in banking as well. I even took a class and middle school that showed me how to write a check and how to balance a check register... Not everyone gets that," Ritter acknowledged. "So if we can fill that gap with sessions that take an hour or so... We can help build that back up and bridge that."
The Financial Empowerment Center at Regency offers weekly full-time personal finance classes with the help of the HCPS Adult Education Center. For more information, contact Charity Rupp at 804-266-0290 Ext. 1505 or email ruppc@henricofcu.org.
