In September, I had the great pleasure to appear with Hon. John C. Ninfo II, Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of New York, before an energetic and high-spirited audience of 500 students at West Bloomfield High School in West Bloomfield, Mich. Judge Ninfo gave a captivating presentation based on the Credit Abuse Resistance Program he developed, used by volunteers in the bankruptcy community, to teach students the basics of personal money management. Also attending the presentation were Hon. Steven Rhodes, Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, and Marion "Joe" Mack Jr., the Assistant U.S. Trustee in our Detroit office. We received invaluable assistance and support from the local school district officials and high school administrators, who recognized the import of this topic and invited us to bring this message to the students. The students in West Bloomfield may have arrived in the auditorium expecting a dry recitation of budgeting basics, but Judge Ninfo held them rapt with his riveting anecdotes, drawn from years on the bankruptcy bench, of the dire consequences of financial illiteracy and mismanagement of money. Judge Ninfo's message to the students included the following key points: (1) Basic financial education can help consumers protect their future by enabling them to avoid stressful debt and possible bankruptcy, and (2) students, in particular, need to understand that new technologies, which reduce our use of cash and increase our use of plastic and other convenient means of purchasing, require new skills in personal restraint and financial planning. Become Involved! Since I became EOUST director in March 2002, I have appeared and spoken at more events than I can remember, but I can honestly state that the West Bloomfield High School outreach event was one of the highlights. To have the chance to affect young lives and guide listeners toward financial productivity and prudence was truly gratifying. I urge you to support—or create—financial education outreach opportunities in your own community. Many resources are available to you, including the materials from Judge Ninfo's CARE Program (http://www.careprogram.us), the curriculum and materials from the Trustees' Education Network (http://www.nactt.org) and the U.S. Trustee Program's informational brochure posted in the "Outreach" section of the U.S. Trustee Program's web site (http://www.usdoj.gov/ust). Financial Literacy and Education Commission Update The Financial Literacy Education Commission is another resource for financial education information. Created in 2003 by Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT), the Commission held its third meeting on Sept. 22. At this meeting, the Commission announced that a national web site and toll-free hotline for financial literacy information would be launched on Oct. 12. Visitors to the web site and callers to the hotline will be offered a free "tool kit" from the National Citizen Information Center, which will include financial-management brochures from several agencies. The Commission's next meeting is Jan. 13, 2005. I encourage you to keep abreast of the Commission's activities, including the development of a national strategy to promote financial literacy education, through the Treasury Department's web site at http://www.treasury.gov/financialeducation.