April is Financial Literacy Month: 32 state champion teams en route to Miami Beach for annual LifeSmarts championship, April 24-27 – National Consumers League

April 7, 2010

Washington, D.C. — Just in time for Financial Literacy Month, the National Consumers League (NCL) has announced the 32 state champion teams who have earned a spot at the 2010 National LifeSmarts Championship, which will take place this year in Miami Beach, Florida, April 24-27. LifeSmarts (www.lifesmarts.org) is NCL’s 16-year-old program that educates teens and tweens on real-world financial and consumer literacy issues.

LifeSmarts is a competitive educational program, in which teams of students begin online. Top-scorers progress to state competitions, and state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. Last year’s state champion from Wisconsin’s Oconto High School will return this year to defend their national title. For a complete list of state champions, visit www.lifesmarts.org.

“We are so proud of this year’s state LifeSmarts champions, who have proven themselves to be the best and the brightest of the next generation of consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “LifeSmarts is a fun, fast, and educational program, and a great vehicle for educating young consumers. Our program goes in-depth on the issues kids—and adults–are facing now: making smart choices with financial resources, health care, environmental concerns, and how technology affects our lives.”

The 2010 National LifeSmarts Champion and other winning teams will walk away with prizes including scholarships and savings bonds. Also, for the first time this year, top students will receive new scholarships for demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams are recognized with savings bonds and other prizes.

2010 NATIONAL LIFESMARTS CHAMPIONSHIP HEADED TO MIAMI BEACH

Consumer-savvy teens representing 32 states will compete at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2009-2010 program year, more than 22,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2010 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

EVENT INFO

April 24-27, 2010

Miami Beach Resort, 4833 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33140 (866-765-9090)

Final match: Tuesday, April 27, 10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Eastern
Awards Ceremony: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern

WEBCAST AND WEB COVERAGE

Parents and teachers can follow the action at the official 2010 National LifeSmarts Championship blog (www.lifesmartsnationals.blogspot.com).

The semi-final and final competition matches will be streamed live at www.lifesmarts.org, starting at 9 am Eastern.

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org , or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.