“Investing in Future Leaders” program to begin at Buchanan, Cloverdale and Greenfield Elementary Schools
BUCHANAN, Va. — Bank of Botetourt is launching Investing in Future Leaders, a seven-month financial education pilot program in partnership with Botetourt County Public Schools. The inaugural program will begin with third- and fifth-grade students at Buchanan, Cloverdale and Greenfield Elementary Schools.
Developed by Bank of Botetourt, Investing in Future Leaders is designed to bring practical, age-appropriate financial education directly into the classroom through a series of engaging, 30-minute lessons led by local retired educators working alongside the Bank to facilitate the initiative. Together, these educators bring 127 years of combined service in education, pairing extensive classroom experience with the Bank’s financial knowledge and resources.
The three elementary schools were selected by Bank of Botetourt as a purposeful starting point for the pilot, taking into consideration proximity and the capacity needed to introduce the program thoughtfully and effectively. Beginning with a focused group of schools will allow the Bank to work closely with educators, gather feedback, and refine the curriculum and delivery as the program develops.
“As a community bank founded here in Botetourt County, we are grateful for the opportunity to begin this program alongside Botetourt County Public Schools and the educators who know their students best,” said Michelle R. Austin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Botetourt. “A pilot is an opportunity to start thoughtfully, learn together and build upon what works. Our hope is to create a meaningful financial education program that can continue to grow and, over time, reach even more students and communities.”
The curriculum is designed to complement classroom instruction and support Virginia Standards of Learning objectives while providing students and educators with additional financial education resources and real-world applications.
Third-grade students will explore foundational concepts including earning, saving, spending, needs and wants, giving and goal setting. Fifth-grade students will build upon those fundamentals through budgeting, banking, consumer decision-making, fraud awareness, entrepreneurship and planning for future financial goals.
Students will apply these concepts through interactive activities that may include establishing savings goals, managing sample budgets, comparing prices, recognizing potential scams, working through financial scenarios and developing simple business ideas. The program is designed to make financial education relevant and approachable while strengthening broader skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, planning and responsible decision-making.
“We are grateful for Bank of Botetourt’s investment in our students and for their partnership in bringing practical financial education into our classrooms,” said Dr. Janet Womack, Superintendent of Botetourt County Public Schools. “Investing in Future Leaders gives students an opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world decisions and develop skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. We look forward to learning from this pilot and the opportunities it creates for our students, educators and families.”
The pilot represents an opportunity to support educators with dedicated financial education programming while helping students connect classroom learning with the decisions and opportunities they will encounter as consumers, future entrepreneurs, business and community leaders.
Throughout the seven-month initiative, Bank of Botetourt and Botetourt County Public Schools will gather feedback and evaluate the program to identify what works well, where it can be strengthened and how it can continue to evolve. The experience will help inform future opportunities for expansion, whether to additional schools in Botetourt County or, over time, to other communities within Bank of Botetourt’s regional footprint.
For Bank of Botetourt, the inaugural program is intended to be a starting point—an opportunity to develop a sustainable financial education model through collaboration, learning and continuous improvement before determining its next phase.
About Bank of Botetourt
Chartered in 1899, Bank of Botetourt is a full-service community bank serving customers through 14 retail offices across Botetourt, Franklin, Roanoke and Rockbridge counties; the cities of Roanoke and Salem; and the towns of Vinton and Rocky Mount, Virginia. The Bank also operates Virginia Mountain Mortgage, its residential lending division, and Botetourt Wealth Management, offering financial planning and investment services. Recognized by Forbes as a multi-year Best-in-State Bank in Virginia, Bank of Botetourt continues building on its long-standing tradition of service, financial strength and community commitment.
For more information, visit Bank of Botetourt: https://www.bankofbotetourt.com/
Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender
###
Pictured (L-R): Donna Cox and Susan Woody
You are leaving Bank of Botetourt’s website for a third-party site with a different privacy policy and security standards. We do not guarantee the accuracy of its content and are not responsible for any views, advice, or recommendations found there. Click Proceed to continue or Cancel to return.
