The Fanwood Memorial Library is one of 10 recipients of the New Jersey State Library’s 2026 Money Smart for Life Award. The initiative was designed to educate communities on the skills they need for financial well-being through libraries. The award recognizes libraries coordinating programs that support financial literacy education for community members of any age. It is intended to highlight innovative and impactful financial literacy programs that could serve as models for other libraries.
Children’s Librarian Amy Donnadio said the $1,000 award will be used to fund more financial literacy programming for the community. The Fanwood Memorial Library’s “Financial Literacy Workshops” began because a teen volunteer wanted to share her passion for finance with younger students. This series covered the value of money and investing basics through interactive lessons, discussions, and real-world examples. Learning from a teen rather than an adult allowed the attendees to connect with the topic at a different level.
“I think that the idea came about naturally when I was looking for a project that would positively impact the community. I am hoping to major in finance in college and had been looking for ways to immerse myself in the field. I had already been volunteering at the Fanwood Memorial Library, so it felt like the right place to start, and I love working with kids, so I knew that was the right demographic,” said Jane Fisher, who just completed her junior year at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.
The workshops were aimed at students in grades 4-6. Jane wanted to ensure that the workshops would be fun and engaging for students, so they were 30 minutes long and she came up with a variety of games and activities to demonstrate the importance of saving, how to save, and the logistics of earning money and its value.
