A familiar furry face at the Ozark Federal Credit Union in Poplar Bluff has taken on a new adventure to help teach children the importance of financial responsibility.
Zoe, the mascot of the Credit Union, is now featured in her very own book, "Zoe Finds a Job."
Ozark Federal Credit Union Business Development Specialist, and Zoe's mom, Davine Conover was in Washington, D.C., with President Kirk Mondy and Executive Vice President Chad Wolfram accepting a national award when the men mentioned in passing that Conover should write a book with Zoe.
"That's how it started," she said.
"Zoe Finds a Job" takes children on the small yorkie's journey from being bored and shopping, searching for a job to support her habit, to finally learning financial responsibility.
Conover was able to convey her passion for financial literacy through her loyal companion.
"If I could do something where I could teach people to save so later in life they could survive better, I wanted to do it," she said.
Addressed along Zoe's adventure includes how to look and smell good, first impressions and reputation. The book emphasizes not being perfect, but rather doing your best.
"The book also teaches a lot of subliminal messages people don't even realize," Conover said. "A lot of the lessons include respect, responsibility and the decision making process. If children can learn that at a young age, they will be so much more ahead."
The "nugget" of financial literacy, Conover said, is the process of spend some, save some and give some.
"You have to decide what's the right measure of things for you and still be able to give," she said. "If you don't learn to give, you're never going to have enough no matter what you do."
Conover added she wants children to know how to prepare for purchases in life and how to spend wisely. This is achieved by weighing options and looking at all aspects of spending, which is also covered in "Zoe Finds a Job."
A lot of local people and businesses were involved in the creation of Zoe's book, including Southeast Graphics, Insta Print, Attorney Samantha Pennington Evans, five proofreaders and Illustrator Connie Roe.
The amount of local assistance will in turn bring revenue to the area through the success of "Zoe Finds a Job," not only for the Ozark Federal Credit Union, but all involved.
"Everybody was on board because of knowing the message behind the book and knowing it wasn't done selfishly," Conover said.
After taking on the project, Conover knew she wanted Roe to illustrate the book because she loved dogs.
"We needed someone who loved the subject to make it right," she said.
Conover and Roe originally met while working together on downtown dog shows.
Once the dog show wrapped up in the fall of 2016, Conover began writing and Roe started the illustrations from actual events and places around Poplar Bluff.
The ladies collaborated, made a storyboard and structured around the illustrations with a little twisting and changing of the story along the way.
"We both knew what we wanted to do together and respected each other," Conover said. "We were so in sync and it just worked well."
Roe said having her illustrations in the book was the perfect opportunity for her and looks forward to helping other local people with their projects.
"I'm very excited and grateful," Roe said of having her illustrations featured in a book. "This was the chance for someone in a small community to do something good."
Roe was behind the idea of being able to tell the importance of financial literacy to children through Zoe.
"In the end I think we got a pretty good project and it did what we wanted," she said. "I'm hoping it will spark an interest in finances for children and do some good."
"Zoe Finds a Job" didn't just end with a book. In the back of the publication is a question and answer page for teachers, an awards section with Pinterest pages for ideas and a jingle.
"The jingle is a story in its own," Conover said with a laugh.
With the help of Westwood Baptist Church Music Director Steven Stembridge, the jingle was set to sheet music.
"Steven told me we actually fulfilled a dream of his because he always wanted to have a piece of music published," she said.
The Zoe's Club jingle was then sent to Steven Williams at MTI Studios, who has created music for many successful motion pictures.
The group believed in the project so much, Conover was told Williams' daughter wanted to sing the jingle.
"She did a great job and I am so honored," Conover said.
"Zoe Finds a Job" has also been formatted into a kit for other Credit Unions to spread financial literacy, complete with a yorkie puppet for others to have their very own Zoe.
The board approved "Zoe Finds a Job" kits to be sold to the other 7,500 Credit Unions in the U.S. with the help of MTI Studios.
"It's a legacy lesson," Conover said of the book's message. "Something like this has never been done and to think, it began in Poplar Bluff."
The goal is to sell 100 kits to other Credit Unions in the first year.
The money made from selling Zoe's Club to other Credit Unions will go back into the community to teach more financial literacy, which is very exciting for Conover to have that additional resource to do more in the area, she said.
"To have such an arm's length to do everything was amazing," she said. "Everything falling into place was the way it was paved. When I say God did it, God did it because it wasn't me."
According to Conover, plans are in the works for a second book and possibly third.
"Everyday people make a difference and that is what Zoe teaches," she said.
Zoe came into Conover's life five years ago when she went to Tina Crites at County Line Kennel looking for a new companion.
While visiting, Zoe approached Conover and crawled on her shoulder, which she had never done with anyone.
Conover explained to Crites she was looking for a dog to take to nursing homes and work strongly with youth.
Zoe became that dog and so much more, including spoiled, since the moment she went home with Conover.
"Who would have thought by chance a little three pound yorkie crawling up on your shoulder on a February morning would become a mascot with a book," Conover said.