The $251 million E Federal Credit Union awarded two eight-year-old boys with $1 million, allowing them to keep one day's interest, or roughly $42.
The boys were also given a five-year, $500 certificate of deposit for winning the credit union's Millionaire for a Day contest.
Eli Coleman and Andrew Carter won the prizes for writing the best essay and drawing the best picture, respectively, around the theme, "What would I do with a million dollars?"
The boys also got a tour of a credit union branch and lunch with a local millionaire business owner.
"E FCU's Millionaire for a Day contest was an excellent way for us to encourage our youth members to begin thinking about their financial future and understand the importance and value of saving," stated E FCU CEO Ken Bordelon. "We look forward to seeing Eli and Andrew 30 years from now as real millionaire members of E Federal Credit Union."
Following their credit union branch tour, the students shared lunch with real-life millionaire Todd Graves, founder and chairman of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, an 80-unit, Baton Rouge-based chicken fingers restaurant chain.
During their luncheon, Graves gave the children a tour of the restaurant kitchen, ate lunch with them and presented them with Raising Cane's gift buckets. Graves also shared his advice on becoming a millionaire, staying a millionaire and developing smart financial habits.
"Raising Cane's continually strives to be an active community partner in Baton Rouge and in every community we serve," said Graves. "Eli and Andrew will both be very successful one day, and we are grateful to our friends at E Federal Credit Union for involving Raising Cane's in such a great promotion."
Eli Coleman, a third grader attending Central Primary School, wrote a 156-word essay about his plans for $1 million dollars. He wrote, "My family is very important to me, and I would share with them…I might help pay some of the bills at our house…I guess I could pay for my sister's college, too. I would love to have a tree house."
Andrew Carter, a fourth grader attending Cedarcrest-Southmoor Elementary, drew a picture for his entry. In his artwork, Carter drew a house, a yard, college and a piggy bank situated beside rain drops to illustrate his rainy day fund.
The Millionaire for a Day contest kicked off in April in conjunction with National Credit Union Youth Week, a week dedicated to encouraging youth savings and financial literacy.
–dmorrison@cutimes.com
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