Christian Thomas of West Potomac Academy Awarded $1,000
Alexandria, VA – Burke & Herbert Bank’s Lights, Camera, Save! regional winner, Christian Thomas from West Potomac Academy in Alexandria, tied for third place in the national American Bankers Association Foundation contest. Lights, Camera, Save!, which launched in 2010, is a unique national competition that encourages teens ages 13 to 18 to use video to communicate the value of sound money management and motivate their peers. This year, 117 banks hosted 133 contests in 47 states as a part of Lights, Camera, Save!
After Thomas’ video won the Burke & Herbert Bank round, it advanced to compete against 132 regional winners to become one of eight national finalists before being voted a top winner. For his third place finish in the national contest, Thomas will be awarded $1,000. His 30-second video highlights the importance of monitoring expenses to reach future financial goals. His clever lyrics and visual approach helped the video to resonate with a teen audience.
“We are thrilled for Christian and proud to be a part of this major accomplishment “said Terry Cole, Executive Vice President at Burke & Herbert Bank. It is wonderful to see so many teens getting involved in financial literacy through the Lights, Camera, Save! video contest and exciting to see the creativity and on-target messaging in the videos the teens created. Christian’s video communicates a great message about making wise spending choices, and it’s engaging, fun, and creative too. Congratulations from all of us at Burke & Herbert Bank on a job well done!”
Burke & Herbert Bank received entries from Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria, and Prince William school districts. In addition to Christian Thomas taking first in the Bank’s regional contest, Sujay Khona of Fairfax Academy was awarded second place for his video and Talia Levy of Hylton High School received third for hers. Burke & Herbert Bank awarded the students $350, $100, and $50 gift cards, respectively. The Bank also awarded each of their teachers a $50 gift card in recognition of their support.
Video judges for the Burke & Herbert Bank round included Amy Granahan, Marketing, Economics and Personal Finance Program Manager for Fairfax County Public Schools; Patti North, Executive Director, Alexandria Film Festival; Rebecca Barnes, Publisher, Prince William Living Magazine, Dylan Thomas, former Lights, Camera, Save! National winner; and representatives from the Bank.
To learn more about Lights, Camera, Save! visit lightscamerasave.com.
Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company, established in 1852, is the oldest bank in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the oldest continuously operating bank in the Washington DC area. The Bank offers a full range of personal and business banking products and services designed to meet customers’ banking, borrowing, and investing needs. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company is headquartered in Alexandria and operates more than 20 branches in Northern Virginia.
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