Five North Central employees participated Tuesday in the 2024 Financial Reality Fair held at St. Marys Area High School. The event was hosted by the Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties.

RIDGWAY – ­North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission employees presented at Tuesday’s Financial Reality Fair at St. Marys Area High School.

The event was hosted by the Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties and was sponsored by Laurel Mountain Federal Credit Union.

A total of 216 students from Cameron County, Johnsonburg, Ridgway, and St. Marys high schools attended the financial literacy event, which is a component of the North Central Partnership for Regional Economic Performance (PREP) program.

Jenn Hibbard, Mikala Biondi, Sherry Dumire, Amber Biondi, and Shelly Caggiano represented North Central at the event, which is designed to provide a unique opportunity for students to experience taking on the financial challenges they will face during adulthood. The fair is specifically designed to help students make sound personal finance decisions while contributing to their communities in a positive manner.

Smartphones, clothing, and financial counseling stations were staffed by North Central’s employees. Students were to attend each booth and make their purchases, and then meet with financial counselors to ensure the students’ have balanced their personal budgets.

Other booths included credit union loans, entertainment, food, furniture/appliances, housing rental/mortgage, and utilities. In addition, booths were set up for television, internet and media, and fitness, hair, nails, spa, and pets. Booths were also set up for part-time jobs, insurance, and transportation.

Dumire, who staffed the smartphone station along with Mikala Biondi, said she worked with students to select an affordable smartphone. Students had three phones to choose from, but each with a different cost. Students then had to decide to pay for the device using a checking account, savings account, or a credit card. She said she helped guide the students to select an affordable phone.

Caggiano and Amber Biondi staffed the clothing station and said it was a unique experience to help the students budget for clothing.

Hibbard said she handled financial counseling for students once they formulated their monthly budget. She said she helped students by reviewing their net pay against monthly expenses and helped students recalculate their purchasing decisions to develop a budget where students would have extra money in their savings at the end of the month.