U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Bank Kick Off Direct Deposit Week in Puerto Rico
Local Banks and Community Organizations Promote Social Security Direct Deposit
PUERTO RICO -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank underscored the importance of the Puerto Rico Go Direct (Directo A Su Cuenta) campaign with the announcement of Direct Deposit Week beginning Friday, January 28. This initiative is supported by local financial organizations like Banco Popular de Puerto Rico and the Liga de Cooperativas, and by various community organizations including the Association of Health Centers, Esperanza para la Vejez, Medicare y Mucho Más, and Salud de la Capital.
The week of events is devoted to educating Social Security recipients about the benefits of direct deposit and helping them enroll to receive their money electronically. This week will start with an event on Friday, January 28 and will extend until February 4. The first event will be a special presentation to the Plaza Las Américas Walkers' Association, led by Myrna Peréz, Director of Public Relations for the local office of the Social Security Administration and spokesperson of the campaign. Additionally, the Cruz Espada and Mayaguez Centers, from Esperanza para la Vejez, and the Association of Primary Health Centers, will provide educational workshops to their daily visitors.
In addition to these initiatives, there will be several events open to the public and sponsored by the Tourism Company, MCS Classicare and Banco Popular. The following is the itinerary for these and other events for Direct Deposit Week in Puerto Rico:
Friday, January 28, 2005
Special Direct Dialogue at Plaza Las Americas with the Plaza Las Américas Walkers´ Association. A group of 150 senior citizens will attend a presentation that will be led by Myrna Peréz, from the local office of the Social Security Administration.
Place: Plaza Las Américas
Time: 7:00 a.m. a 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, 29, and Sunday, January 30, 2005
Directo A Su Cuenta will participate in Festival Mi Casita and Atardecer Romántico. These events are coordinated by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, and will take place at the Paseo la Princesa. In both events, Directo A Su Cuenta, will have promotional booths to provide an opportunity for seniors to sign-up for direct deposit and informational materials.
Place: Paseo La Princesa, Viejo San Juan
Time: 4:00 p.m. a 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Golden Health Fair at San German, event sponsored by MCS Classicare, in which Directo A Su Cuenta will distribute informational materials about the campaign and will offer the opportunity to enroll in direct deposit.
Place: Plaza Pública de San German (in front of Antigua Alcaldia)
Time: 8:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m.
Monday January 31, 2005
Promotional activity of Direct Deposit Week at the following branches of Banco Popular, Bayamón Region:
Place: Rexville, Urb. Rexville Km. 18.7 Carr. Estatal 167
Time: 8:00 a.m. a 10:00 a.m.
Place: Sam´s Club Rexville, Carr. 830 Km 0.2 Barrio Cerro Gordo
Time:11:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Promotional activity of Direct Deposit Week at the following branches of Banco Popular, Bayamón Region:
Place: Santa Rosa, Centro Comercial Santa Rosa, Carr. 32
Time: 8:00 a.m. a 10:00 a.m.
Place: Buchanan, South Health Clinic Bldg. 501, Fort Buchanan
Time: 11:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Promotional activity of Direct Deposit Week at the following branches of Banco Popular, Bayamón Region:
Place: Bayamón Popular Center, Urb. Flamboyan Gardens, Ave. Dr. L. Rodriguez
Time: 8:00 a.m. a 10:00 a.m.
Place: Bayamón Highway, Km. 11.9 Carr. 2
Time: 11:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m
Thursday, February 3, 2005
Promotional activity of Direct Deposit Week at the following branches of Banco Popular, Bayamón Region:
Place: Lomas Verdes, Royal Palm 1A-100 Ave. Lomas Verdes
Time: 8:00 a.m. a 10:00 a.m.
Place: Supermercado Amigo Santa Juanita, Centro Comercial Santa Juanita, Ave. Magnolia Esq. Calle India
Time: 11:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m.
Friday, February 4, 2005
Promotional activity of Direct Deposit Week at the following branches of Banco Popular, Bayamón Region:
Place: Bayamon Oeste, Bayamon Oeste Shopping Center
Time: 8:00 a.m. a 10:00 a.m.
Place: Plaza del Sol, Centro Comercial Plaza del Sol-Urb Sierra Bayamón, Ave. West Main #725 Calle 4 Bloque 3
Time: 11:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m.
Place: Plaza Rio Hondo, Centro Comercial Rio Hondo, Ave. Comerio
Time: 11:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m.
The Go Direct (Directo A Su Cuenta) campaign is a six-month grassroots marketing campaign aimed at increasing the use of direct deposit among federal beneficiaries. As part of the campaign began in Oct. 1, 2004, many community programs have been implemented and media outreach has been conducted.
In all, some 291,700 Puerto Ricans -- nearly 58.5 percent of Social Security recipients -still receive their benefits by check. This represents an opportunity to offer them all the benefits of direct deposit, a safer and faster way for them to receive their money. Additionally, converting check payments to direct deposit could save taxpayers nearly $2.2 million annually.
For more information on these events or the Go Direct campaign, or to arrange an interview with any of the organizations involved, call Raquel Rivera (787) 585-2499 or José Sanabria
(310) 854-8258.
Go Direct has established two websites in English www.GoDirect.org and Spanish www.DirectoASuCuenta.org, and toll-free numbers to help people sign up for direct deposit:
(800) 333-1792 (Spanish) and (800) 333-1795 (English).
|
