Cardinal Community Credit Union Hosting Scholarship Competition This Weekend

In one of the more creative scholarship competitions you'll ever see, students will compete in the equivalent of a life-sized board game to earn a $1,200 college scholarship from Cardinal Community Credit Union.

The competition, called Mad City Money, allows high school juniors and seniors to show off their budgeting prowess. It will be held from 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday at Lakeland Community College.

Mad City Money is a kind of game designed to give young people a taste of the real world—complete with occupation, salary, spouse, student loan debt, credit card debt and medical insurance payments.

In many ways, it is similar to the board game, “Life.”

During the game, high school students take on the role of an adult in futuristic Mad City. They’re given jobs, income, a family, and debt. The challenge? Visit merchants to select housing, transportation, food, household necessities, clothing, day care and other wants and needs while building a budget.

“The competition allows participants to make mistakes and suffer the consequences of their decisions in a realistic but safe environment,” said Christine Blake, the president and CEO of Cardinal Community Credit Union.

“It’s an opportunity for students with all levels of financial experience to develop a general understanding of basic budgeting. Last year, we taught almost 350 students the value of budgeting and fiscal responsibility through the Mad City Money program and we’re looking forward to doing it again this year -- with a bit of a competitive twist.”

An expected 120 students are participating in the event. In addition to having a scholarship on the line, all participants will also receive a ticket to Cedar Point.