Dandelion Wishes, by Kenna, 14, Tacoma, Wash.

Kenna says, "Me and my best friend planned to take a photo of blowing wish-weeds, but she could never blow hard enough to get her seeds off of the stem! So the picture took it and all of my seeds were floating in the air and hers didn't go anywhere."

The most recent winner of this year's $1,000 grand prize in the C-Note photo contest, Kenna is a member of American Airlines Federal Credit Union, Fort Worth, Texas.

Online readers voted Kenna's picture the best of seven $100 winners in photo contests held over the past year in C-Note. The theme of the original $100 contest that Kenna won was True Friends.

Contest theme Messy Rooms: deadline March 3

Invite your youth members to submit their photos in the $100 C-Note photo contest theme: Messy Rooms. This should be an easy one! Deadline: March 3 at midnight.

Provide a link to the C-Note photo contest on your credit union website, or use these instructions to tell your teenage members how to submit to C-Note on your website:

1. Register on C-Note (it's free and easy) and log in.
2. Click "Photo Contest Winner" on the right side of C-Note's front page.
3. Vote for your favorite photo in the Ballot Box on the left.
4. Click "Enter Contest" in the upper right side of the page.
5. Follow the instructions.

The C-Note photo contests are open to your young members, as well as to credit union employees and their family members between the ages of 13 and 19.

C-Note instant poll results—your free time*

C-Note teenagers vary in how they spend their free time—except playing video games, which they don't do too much. We didn't have enough quiz space to find out how many of these activities they do at once!

Give your high-school teenagers great ideas by sharing any of these articles:

• "Dream Big": "Sometimes we just have to hit the mute button in our lives," says Leah, 17.
• "Saving for the Hobby Days": "Let me show you the many ways I afford my hobbies by making them less expensive," says Tony, 15.
• "What Are You Waiting For? Get Into Extracurriculars": "Getting involved in your school or other organizations can boost your grades," says Molly, 15.

Q: How do you spend most of your free time?

Instant poll questions capture your high school members’ attention. On which issues would you like to learn more about what they think? Use your imagination and send your poll questions with possible responses to Rena Crispin.

* Instant poll results reflect an unscientific sampling of Googolplex readers.

Know what’s coming: Stories and games that teach and entertain

5-Spot stories

Earth Day: By Kids for Kids
Do you know that kids helped to create Earth Day on April 22, 1970? Learn what you can do this Earth Day to take care of our planet.

Why Buy?
Hannah, age 10, knows that the library helps her save money. She’s able to check out books by a lot of different authors without having to spend any money. Go to the library to try before you buy, not only with books, but also with movies, music, and games.

Paper Dollars and Copper Pennies?
Do you think dollars are made out of paper, and pennies out of copper? They look like it, but the different ingredients might surprise you.

5-Spot activities

Bottom Feeders
You’re not just deep-sea diving, you’re deep, deep-sea diving. You’re so deep that it’s pitch black. Thankfully, you’ve got a flashlight. Can you see the fish?

Double-Dip Discombobulation
You got your first try at Discombobulated, now it's time for Double-Dip Discombobulation. And if you think you can make these comics make sense...have at it!

Birds of a Feather
What do they say about birds of a feather? They flock together. So do bacon and eggs, stars and stripes, and left and right.

AJ's stories

Summer Camp 101
Carter, age 13, says, "Camp was a highlight of my summer break. I met many new friends and enjoyed the company of counselors." He wants to share his memories with you!

Turning Silver Into Paper
You see it and use it every day, and it goes quickly! What do you think it is? It’s money! Learn about how the dollar we spend so effortlessly today came to be.

Need Clothes? Revive Old T-Shirts!
Are your tees too small? Sick of the design? "Don’t throw out those old t-shirts!" says Hailey, 15. She gives you six ways to revive them.

AJ's activities

Cowabunga
Dude, you’re still playing hangman? Cowabunga is this totally awesome game that teaches you to speak like a surfer. Play smart and you’ll ride the barrel. But make one misstep and you’ll meet the men in the gray suits!

Dozer
You’ve been nodding off in class again. If you’re not getting anything out of the lecture, you should at least try to listen to that subconscious voice in your head.

Member 13
Start with 52 members of four unique credit unions. Can you eliminate 48 of them, so that only Member 13 from each CU remains? This solitaire-style game requires a healthy combination of skill, luck, and wishful thinking.

C-Note stories

Thrifty Tickets
Movies are about as American as apple pie, but can be a drain on your wallet. Learn how to save money on flicks and still get to see the new Hollywood blockbusters.

Txt Bak? U Can W8!
Take a look at the drivers next to you on the road. "How many of them are on their phones or texting someone? How many are doing something else like eating or reading a map?" says Kelsey. What’s the distraction worth?

Budgeting Your Party
Want to know how to keep costs down and still host a great party? Reuben, 16, shares ideas for different types of parties. Find out how to keep food costs down and how to create an "agenda" for breaking up the time so the party doesn't get stale.

C-Note activities

Talk Talk Too
Travel this great land of ours and you’ll soon discover that we are a country of people who say the same thing many different ways. Learn even more about your verbal roots in this sequel to "Talk Talk."

Consolidation Loan
OK, you've got waaaay too many credit cards, and your plastic debt is piling up. Is a consolidation loan the answer? Start with a plethora of plastic. Cluster three or more of the same credit cards together to consolidate and pay off debt. Can you become debt- free before you get buried in borrowing?

Swiftly Speaking
Who is Tom Swift? Many would say he's the hero of hundreds of adverb-puns. Can you match each Swifty beginning to its correct end?

Give youth print and online newsletters!
Every quarter we send you enough ready-to-print pages to create three full newsletters—one each for elementary-school, middle-school, and high-school level readers. We provide newsletters in high resolution for print, and low resolution for e-mail or online viewing.

Here’s how you get them:
To retrieve the ready-to-print, ready-to-view newsletter pages each quarter, log in to your Googolplex newsletter page, select the pages you need, and download them free of charge.

Don’t waste your subscription
Whenever you change your credit union Web address or logo, check your Googolplex customization. Make sure your links and credit union logo are what you want by logging in to your Googolplex Customization and Installation page.

If you have technical or subscription questions, or need help in setting up your password, please call Debbie Michels, 800-356-9655, ext. 4091.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas for Googolplex editorial content, please e-mail Rena Crispin or call 800-356-9655, ext. 4258.

We respect your privacy. If you’d rather not receive future e-mails on Googolplex, reply to this message with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

This e-mail was sent on behalf of Credit Union National Association (CUNA), 5710 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705.

Kudos to TruGrocer FCU!


TruGrocer creatively brings youth to Googolplex. Click on the membership tab at the top of the page and watch how Googolplex splits into the three clearly labeled interest levels.

Tell Youth What's Great About Your Credit Union



Tell young people!
1. Log on to your Customization page.
2. Click on "Basic Data" at the top.
3. Click on "End of Story Message" in the left-hand tool bar.
4. Type in your message.