Self-Help Shares

Andrea Harris is a person who doesn’t like silos—or, for that matter, any box or barrier that limits people. Throughout her career, she has refused to be deterred by obstacles and has been guided by her vision of what should be. Her life has been dedicated to hands-on help and shoe-leather advocacy for families of limited means. She has worked on behalf of the very young and the very old. She has worked for families in urban and rural areas. She has befriended people with all kinds of backgrounds and beliefs, and she has brought them together.

Now we at Self-Help Credit Union are fortunate that she has brought her many talents to us.

They have all kinds of aspirations, from helping people with disabilities to video editing and singing. They come from many different locations in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. All of them have a proven record of service or leadership in their communities. And each of them received $1,000 from Self-Help Credit Union as they pursue vocational school or college.

Congratulations, Self-Help Scholars! Read more to see all of this year’s winners.

“Soul-crushing.” “A hole you can’t get out of.” “A living hell.” These descriptions are from borrowers who have been trapped in payday loans. In an op ed that appeared in the Washington Examiner, Diane Standaert of the Center for Responsible Lending makes the case for keeping sensible payday lending rules.

Self-Help Credit Union has lots of recent news: a new branch opened in Charlotte, NC; the Center for Responsible Lending testified before a Congressional committee on payday lending and other small consumer loans; and we were out and about for Earth Day and other community events. Read all about it here. 

Self-Help’s latest annual report is now available! The online report covers all facets of our work in 2018, including our credit unions, business and nonprofit lending, real estate development and advocacy. The report includes stories of faith and persistence, and also a lot of celebration. 

Saturday, March 30 was a beautiful day for a grand opening in Durham, NC. Hundreds of people gathered in East Durham, North Carolina to enjoy community festivities and a ribbon-cutting that marked the opening of the Angier Business & Children’s Center.

Our latest e-news is now available, including information on Self-Help scholarships, our new branch opening in Charlotte, and helping children get better nutrition where they learn. Read all about it now and be sure to subscribe to this blog and future e-letters, which are delivered straight to your inbox every other month. Click the subscribe button on this page. 

Today the Real Estate team in Durham, NC hosted an extended lunchtime viewing of the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament--an event that sometimes elicits passionate comments and plain old trash talk.

The brand new Apopka branch is wonderful, but for staff and members it's more than a new building or its amenities. It’s a visible investment in the future of the community.

One of the best parts of working at Self-Help is getting to celebrate the successes of our borrowers, members and tenants. We Self-Helpers got a treat earlier this month when one of our tenants, Russell's Pharmacy and Shoppe, celebrated its grand opening in East Durham, NC.

Meet Dr. Darius Russell and Terencia Russell (shown above), the husband-and-wife team who are the proprietors of Russell's, in these short videos.