(COLUMBIA, SC- MARCH 14, 2016) South State Bank's Minor Savers Program reached a milestone today when the 10,000 student completed the program.

The Minor Savers Program was introduced 11 years ago by South State Bank's Chief Financial Officer John Pollok and is open to teachers of kindergarten through 2 grade.

'In today's society, children grow up without the necessary skills to manage money. The Minor Savers Program was developed to create a fun and engaging way to motivate children to learn,' said Pollok. 'Our goal is to help create a passion for learning and build a foundation for success as they continue in school.'

As part of the presentation, students learn the history of the penny, nickel, dime and quarter. Then students receive a bank and one of each coin to start saving. In an effort to keep the program interesting, new features and information are added each fall.

The bank achieved its original goal of reaching 5,000 students in 2009 and, year-to-date, South State Bank has invested over $79,000 in the Minor Savers Program.

'Our hope is that by making learning fun, the child will develop a desire to learn more, whether it be about finance or any other subject,' said Pollok.

South State Bank believes in providing financial education at all age levels to help build good savings habits early. According to studies conducted each year, Americans today are saving less than past generations. The bank hopes this program and others offered through the South Carolina Banker's Association Personal Economics Program can help reverse this disturbing trend.

In 2010, Pollok was awarded the Anthony and Alice Hurley Award given by the Columbia Urban League in recognition of his contribution to the betterment of Midlands area youth.

'This is one of the things I am most passionate about,' said Pollok. 'By improving the financial knowledge of the citizens of the community, you create more successful individuals, thereby, improving the local economy and quality of life for the community as a whole.'

South State Corporation is the largest bank holding company headquartered in South Carolina. Founded in 1933, the company's primary subsidiary, South State Bank, has been serving the financial needs of its local communities in 24 South Carolina counties, 13 Georgia counties and 4 North Carolina counties for over 80 years. The bank also operates Minis & Co., Inc. and First Southeast 401K Fiduciaries, Inc., both registered investment advisors; and First Southeast Investor Services, Inc., a limited purpose broker-dealer. South State Corporation has assets of approximately $8.6 billion and its stock is traded under the symbol SSB on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. More information can be found atwww.SouthStateBank.com.

South State Corporation issued this content on 14 March 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 14 March 2016 16:25:08 UTC

Original Document: https://www.southstatebank.com/article/south-state-banks-minor-savers-program-achieves-milestone/