Greylock Federal Credit Union Provides Financial Literacy Resources

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. Greylock Federal Credit Union (FCU) is bringing financial literacy education to over 14,440 students and residents in Massachusetts. 
 
Students at 166 schools will have free access to Banzai, an online program and content library that allows users to practice real-world finance from the safety of their home or classroom using any internet-enabled device. Greylock FCU offers Banzai to all of the students in their field of membership areas which include Berkshire, Westfield, Southwick, Granville, Montgomery and Russell counties. 
 
"Thank you SO much for providing the Berkshire Country Day School students with the Banzai courses!" said teacher Kathy Shortelle at Berkshire Country Day School. "They enjoyed the Junior course and we will start the Teen course earlier in the year. We had two speakers, including Mike Fazio and they were wonderful! Thank you for opening up the financial world to our students. They now know the necessary vocabulary and know how important it is to save."
 
Through the Banzai online courses, students try out managing a budget, saving for a goal, and dealing with unexpected financial pitfalls. Teachers are able to easily monitor and grade student progress remotely. Other resources, which include articles, calculators, and personalizable Coach sessions, explain everything from the basics of filing your taxes to how health insurance
works. These resources are available at greylock.teachbanzai.com/wellness.
 
"Thanks to Greylock FCU, area students will now have access to a wide array of courses and resources designed to help prepare them for our increasingly complex world," said Morgan Vandagriff, co-founder of Banzai. "We wouldn't be able to provide these tools without their
support." 
 
Since 2010, Greylock FCU has worked with Banzai to build financial literacy in the community by investing time, money, industry experience, and a variety of credit union resources. Through their help, students have access to Banzai learning tools, virtual or in-classroom presentations from a Greylock FCU expert, and even class visits to a branch to see it all in person.
 
Banzai resources are used by over 75,000 teachers across the U.S. These educational tools align with Massachusetts' state curriculum requirements. After finishing the Banzai courses, users will know how to track where their money is and what it's for, recognize financial trade-offs, and plan for a financially sound future.
 
Teachers interested in using Banzai can visit greylock.teachbanzai.com or call 888-8-BANZAI.

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2026 Point in Time Count on Jan. 25

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Point in Time count, which measures people experiencing homelessness, will occur on Sunday, Jan. 25, and the Three County Continuum of Care stresses that every survey matters. 
 
Earlier this month, the CoC's data and evaluations manager Michele LaFleur and compliance manager Natalie Burtzos reviewed past data with the Homelessness Advisory Committee and discussed planning for this year's count. 
 
LaFleur described the PIT count as "our attempt to try and determine how many people are experiencing homelessness on a single night." Each year, it has to be conducted within the last 10 days of January. 
 
In January 2025, there were 215 Pittsfield people in shelter, and 12 people unsheltered. In July, 107 city people reported being in shelter, and 27 people reported being unsheltered. 
 
Of the unhoused individuals in the winter of 2025, 113 were people in families with children under 18. The PIT count for 2024 reported more than 200 people experiencing homelessness on that day. 
 
Pittsfield's shelter data consists of ServiceNet's individual and family shelters, Soldier On's shelter and transitional housing, and Elizabeth Freeman sheltering areas. The winter count has increased significantly since 2021, and the CoC conducted a summer count on July 20 that showed fewer people in shelters and more unsheltered. 
 
It was noted that the count misses people who are couch surfing or paying to live in a motel, as the reporting is on the burden of service agencies or community members who work with those experiencing housing instability. 
 
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