Philadelphia Area Students Learn About Money & Finance at Summer Camps

WILMINGTON, Del., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of Philadelphia area summer campers will be doing more than just arts and crafts this summer.  That's because ING DIRECT USA, the nation's largest direct bank, announced today it's sending Philadelphia area kids on a fun and exciting financial journey to explore the world of money.

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From July through August this year, teams of Orange Volunteers from ING DIRECT's Wilmington headquarters will spend several weeks teaching one-hour Planet Orange Summer Camp lessons – a space themed financial education program – to students from East Side Charter School, Serviam Girls Academy and West End Neighborhood House.   The week-long camps are designed to educate pre-kindergarten to eighth grade students about earning, saving, spending and investing money.

"Learning and summer fun shouldn't be mutually exclusive ideas," said Arkadi Kuhlmann, CEO of ING DIRECT USA.  "It's never too early to start learning about money, and the Planet Orange Summer Camp lessons provide kids with a foundation for earning, saving, spending and investing that they can use in any season and at any age."

"School may be out for summer, but that doesn't mean learning should stop," said Rachael Romond, after-school program and summer camp coordinator at Serviam Girls Academy. "Our students want engaging and meaningful programs, and the Planet Orange Summer Camps are a fun way to learn about dollars and cents."

"East Side Charter School and its students are thrilled to host the ING DIRECT Planet Orange Summer Camp program.  Finance and the importance of money is such an essential lesson for our students to learn early.  This camp is a fantastic opportunity for our school," said Amanda Alexander, Director of External Programs at East Side Charter School.

The Planet Orange Summer Camp lessons are part of ING DIRECT's nationwide initiative to teach financial education to children. Working from the Teacher's Resource Center Lesson Plans found at www.orangekids.com, ING DIRECT USA employees will teach basic money concepts to more than 250 students from the following Wilmington-based schools:

• Serviam Girls Academy – Monday, July 12 to Thursday, July 15
• East Side Charter School – Monday, July 12 to Friday, July 16
• West End Neighborhood House – Monday, July 26 to Friday, July 30

Earlier this summer, 75 students from Prestige Academy Charter School of Wilmington participated in a similar summer program.

Since the start of 2010, more than 1,500 students at various schools across the country have received lessons in financial education from ING DIRECT associates. Planet Orange activities are available online at orangekids.com for parents and children to explore together. The interactive, space-themed website comes fully equipped with a Teacher's Resource Center that includes teacher tutorials, free lesson plans that comply with most state standards, and supplemental information to help teachers across America have the "money talk" with their students – in a way that's fun, interactive and long lasting.

About ING DIRECT USA

ING DIRECT USA, the nation's largest direct bank and largest thrift, is dedicated to inspiring Americans to become a nation of savers. Since its inception in 2000, more than 7.6 million Americans have entrusted their savings with ING DIRECT, building the bank to $91.3 billion in assets.  ING DIRECT has developed a comprehensive social media Savers Community, including Twitter, Facebook and its We, the Savers blog.  For more information about ING DIRECT call 1-800-ING-DIRECT, and for information about its commitment to financial education visit Planet Orange.  

SOURCE ING DIRECT USA