Eighty-nine children are now owners of Amazon Fire tablets from the Police Co-operative Credit Union (PCCU) as a reward for completing the annual Junior Savers Challenge.

“The Police Co-operative Credit Union is encouraging you by rewarding each child with a Fire tablet from Amazon, which is the latest gadget in technology on the market,” said Simone Mulcaire, manager of the PCCU, at the prize-giving ceremony on Thursday, December 31 at the police canteen upstairs the Kingstown Vegetable Market.

“I must encourage you to continue in this trend of saving with the assistance of your parents, who we cannot forget,” she added.

Mulcaire noted that while the challenge began with 122 junior savers, only 89 completed. She, however, congratulated them on the discipline and sacrifice.

President of the PCCU Junior Simmons congratulated the recipients and encouraged them to use the tablets not for recreation, but as an educational tool.

“Junior savers, as you receive your tablets today, I challenge you to use them wisely; do not use them only to play games or to watch movies or to listen to music…but rather use these tablets to further your education. Use them to do your homework, to do research, to learn new and interesting things in life that can build your character spiritually, morally and socially.

“Do not use your tablets to look at things that are not good for you. The Internet, junior savers, is a very powerful tool. It is both good and bad, but that depends on how you use it; so, I urge you today to use your tablets and the Internet for good deeds only,” the PCCU president stated.

Simmons also urged the parents to monitor their child/children’s use of these tablets.

“I wish also to urge the parents and guardians of young people to monitor them when they are using the tablets or the Internet. Do not leave them up to themselves; you have to know what they are doing, who they are talking to and what they are viewing over the Internet,” Simmons said.

He also disclosed that the PCCU would soon be undergoing some rebranding work with their billboards and with the launch of their website.

Delivering the feature address was acting manager of the St Vincent Co-operative League Monty Chambers, who, like his colleagues, congratulated the recipients on thriftiness and their discipline in sticking to the challenge.

Additionally, he observed that by sticking to the challenge of saving $1 per week and saving $1 more each week than the week before, they were able to save $1,378, which will benefit them later in life.

“…the existing programme gives our youth the opportunity to match dollars with each week of the year. This equation allows a child to save $1,378 in one year, although they are not employed, very amazing. A lot of this money could have gone to vendors or elsewhere. The programme runs from birth to 14 years and let’s look at it this way. If a junior saves consistently for 14 years, he or she can have at least the sum of $19,292,” Chambers noted.

“The future of the credit union movement in St Vincent looks bright with the grooming of these youthful co-operators,” he stated with delight.

Registration for 2016 Junior Savers Challenge began yesterday and will close on January 9.(CM)