Kentucky Jump$tart is once again celebrating Financial Literacy Month in April!

2009 marks the fifth year the Kentucky Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy successfully petitioned the governor to have April dedicated to financial literacy. The 2009 press release can be found at Press Releases. The 2009 proclamation can be viewed at Downloads.

The following are details about free public events and activities promoting financial literacy:

A representative of Kentucky Jump$tart attended the national Jump$tart Coalition's annual meeting April 1-2 in Washington, D.C. This offered an opportunity for Kentucky Jump$tart to network and learn from other state coalitions and advance financial literacy nationally. Also, all state partners got to participate in a "listening session" with members of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, where the council members listened to Jump$tart ideas and concerns about financial literacy in the nation's schools.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) is providing free, one-on-one sessions with a financial counselor who will complete a full financial evaluation, including budgeting, money management, debt and credit education. These consultations can be arranged at any of the nine Kentucky offices or via phone or e-mail. Call 800-355-2227 for more information. CCCS is a nonprofit community service and a member of the National Foundation for Consumer Credit.

Kentucky Council on Economic Education (KCEE) invites students to enter a Financial Literacy Poetry Contest for a chance to win one of four $50 savings bonds. The poem must be focused on financial literacy and use financial vocabulary. For more information, visit www.econ.org. KCEE is a nonprofit organization and an affiliate of the National Council on Economic Education.

Commonwealth Credit Union has planned three seminars on financial topics. The first is a financial fitness seminar on April 14 at noon, where participants can learn the basics of financial fitness, set goals, explore ways to cut costs and develop a strategy for money management. The second is a home finance seminar on April 21 at 5 p.m., where participants will learn about the basics of selecting a home, anticipated down payment and closing costs, and mortgage products and terms, as well as obtain a pre-qualification with a mortgage representative. The third is an investing seminar on April 22 at noon and 7 p.m., where participants can learn creative solutions for their long-term income needs through the use of annuities, how to create an income source that can last a lifetime, to manage their investment risk and how to benefit from tax-deferred accumulation. For more information, call 800-228-6420. Commonwealth Credit Union is Kentucky's largest credit union and is a cooperative non-profit financial institution.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis - Louisville Branch and the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) are teaming up to offer a high school teacher workshop with free curriculum materials on topics like budgeting and credit on April 28 from 4:30-7 p.m. at Elkhorn Middle School in Frankfort. For details, call DFI at 502-573-3390, ext. 252. Established in 1913, the Federal Reserve is the nation's central bank.

DFI is offering school class presentations across the state. This year, DFI is joining AARP to provide to groups of 25 or more a free DVD on avoiding fraud. For more information call 502-573-3390, ext. 252. DFI is the state agency responsible for chartering, licensing and registering various financial institutions, securities firms and professionals operating in Kentucky.

Joanne Bankston, Ph.D., of the Cooperative Extension Program at Kentucky State University, will present two seminars on April 21-22 during the 2009 State Meeting of the Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association in Ft. Mitchell. Both workshops are called "Around the Kitchen Table," and include a discussion of money management, saving and use of credit during tough economic times.

Junior Achievement offers $ave, USA learning tools to help parents and educators teach important life skills. Topics include: college financial planning, credit, budgeting, income, insurance, interest, investments/stock market, smart shopping and taxes. All topics and activities are available online at www.jaky.org.

The Kentucky Jump$tart Coalition also would like to congratulate Louisville's DuPont Manual High School students who will be participating in the National LifeSmarts Competition on April 25-28 in St. Louis, Mo. The students won the Kentucky LifeSmarts state competition on March 5. LifeSmarts is a consumer education game-show style competition covering topics such as health and safety, personal finance, environment and technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities. The Kentucky partners for LifeSmarts include the Office of the Attorney General, DFI, the Better Business Bureau and 4-H Cooperative Extension.