Drawing of Al Pacu in a classroom.

Meet Al

Al proudly serves as our official Piedmont Advantage Youth Program mascot.

Meet Al, our fleece-covered financial friend and the official mascot of our youth program. Al’s not your average alpaca. He’s got a head full of money smarts and a heart for helping your kids build strong savings habits from the start.

With Al by their sides, your kids learn that saving can be fun, spending is smart, and money should have a purpose. From birthday milestones to academic achievements, Al is here to cheer them on, one step and “dollar saved” at a time.

Al Pacu standing next to a broken piggy bank.

One day, while trying to get to his last two quarters, Al accidentally broke his piggy bank. That moment of chaos sparked his curiosity, and he set out on a journey to understand saving and spending. Along the way, Al met our certified financial counselors, set goals and learned that every coin should have a purpose. If not, it might just vanish into the vending machine of life without a second thought.

Today, Al shares what he has learned with the next generation of savers, your kids. We hope his mishap begins your household’s lifelong financial curiosity.

MoneyY-ZER is Piedmont Advantage’s Youth Program’s financial learning series where children and teens in grades K-12 take a financial journey to learn how and why to save, budget, manage and invest money and avoid frauds, scams and predatory lending practices in the future.

  • MoneyY-ZER financial education activities are free and can vary in length of time depending on the age group and location.  Activities range between 20 to 25 minutes for children and between 40 to 60 minutes for teens.
Family hanging out on a couch.