People Helping People

I just came back from the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and African American Credit Union Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) conferences; these are two of the best conferences in the credit union movement. However, in this blog I am going to talk primarily about the AACUC and what I experienced during that conference. Before I begin I want to remind and tell others for the first time of the credit union movement's "social purpose". . The Credit Union National Association's (CUNA) website states that credit unions have the following "Social Purpose: Credit unions exist to help people, not make a profit. Our goal is to serve all of our members well, including those of modest means - every member counts. Our members are fiercely loyal for this reason. They know their credit union will be there for them in bad times, as well as good. The same people-first philosophy causes credit unions and our employees to get involved in community charitable activities and worthwhile causes." (CUNA.ORG) In my opinion, this is the AACUC's approach to every challenge or situation put in front of them "PEOPLE FIRST".

"The AACUC was created to support programs that offer benefits for African-American and African descent credit union professionals and volunteers, credit unions, and credit union vendor partners. The goals and objectives include expanding the interest and increasing the numbers of minorities in the credit union movement; increasing outreach of the credit union movement in African countries and in the United States through credit union mentoring; providing scholarship programs and educational opportunities to credit union professionals and volunteers towards professional development and advancement; and most importantly enhancing internship and scholarship programs for African-American and African descent college students in pursuit of financial services careers to introduce them to and encourage them to seek employment within the credit union movement." (AACUC.ORG)

I can say there is follow-through with this statement from their website. I have greatly benefited from the support of the AACUC, by way of scholarships for Ivy League graduate education, mentorship, correction and encouragement. In my opinion, the AACUC exemplifies the credit union philosophy of "People Helping People"; in addition to helping individuals they are making an impact on a global level. Whether they are partnering with WOCCU, digging in to help other credit unions to continue to support their communities or helping someone like me progress in their career; the AACUC is constantly helping people.

The AACUC chose New Orleans to be the host city for this year's annual conference; almost six years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the Levies. I am glad that they did and I can say I saw firsthand that New Orleans is an amazing demonstration of "People Helping People". I was impressed with the people of New Orleans, despite what had occurred six years earlier there was still such a zeal for life and community. I am sure there are many others demonstrating the social purpose of "People helping People but there is one credit union that I want to talk about specifically because I had an opportunity to visit their shop and see firsthand the difference they are making in the community. Hope Enterprise Corporation and Hope Credit Union are poster organizations for "People Helping People". Hope Federal Credit Union was started in 1995 by a community church in Mississippi; like many not for profits, Hope fell upon difficult times a few years after their beginnings and reached out to the AACUC for their mentorship and expertise. The AACUC's Leaders answered the call and helped them to develop a plan to overcome their challenges; today, Hope Credit Union is one of the fastest growing credit unions and not only serves communities in Mississippi, but also Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana. Hope's expansion into Louisiana has become crucial because of the devastation that hit the gulf coast of Mississippi and New Orleans in August 2005. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Hope Credit Union was the only financial institution that opened immediately in Central City. Since, the devastation of the storm and the aftermath that followed, Hope Credit Union has played an integral part of the rebuilding of New Orleans, Mississippi Gulf Coast and other communities. Hope has created programs such as the following:

• Affordable Housing Programs to rebuild the areas devastated by Katrina
  
• Partnership with Goldman Sachs to bring back small businesses and bolster small business growth in New Orleans
  
• Foreclosure mitigation for areas impacted by Katrina and the downturn of the economy
  
• And the list goes on…
  

As I stated in the beginning of this blog, I attended the WOCCU Conference as well. There I heard how countries such as Africa, Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and many more were overcoming dire obstacles to bring services to their communities. In some areas of the world there are people literally risking their lives to ensure that members of their communities are provided financial literacy and are given give what we consider a basic right, a checking and savings account. Now, that I am back at my credit union in Seattle, I am so jazzed about all of the possibilities to help our members. Every community has their challenges but I can say that I probably won't end up needing a body guard because I want everyone to have a savings account, I can say we have resources and I we haven't been hit by a natural disaster in recent years. There are people all over this world making it happen for their members under all of those circumstances, so there are NO EXCUSES, help someone today. Personally and professionally, I am in the "People Helping People" business.





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