Self-Help Shares

Toward the end of his remarkable life, Dr. King became increasingly more vocal in addressing economic injustice in America. Unfortunately, more than 50 years after the pivotal 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, our nation continues to grapple with many of the same concerns, including homelessness and hunger; mass incarceration; wealth disparities; and poverty and low wages. 

Dear Members and Friends:

The word “awesome” gets over-used, but we at Self-Help Credit Union are truly in awe of our members and partners. Not only do you make our work possible, you teach us and inspire us. Working side-by-side with you in 2018, we expanded our services and moved forward in creating more economic opportunity in more locations.

This past year we learned a lot about the compassion and resilience of our members ...

Self-Help’s most popular blog posts in 2018 reflect both the hardships and victories our communities experienced this year. 

I first met our editor and videographer, Joseph Hernandez, at the Keene Café in Keene, California. It was a convenient meeting spot on the way to the Cesar Chavez Monument and Villa La Paz, both nearby. There we laid the foundation for what was to become “Kern Central Credit Union: A Legacy of Serving Workers in the Fields.” In creating this video we knew we wanted to cover not only the history of Kern Central Credit Union, but also the Farm Workers Credit Union that merged with Kern in 1995.

Last week more than 100 members and supporters joined staff for the Self-Help Credit Union annual meeting – the best Self-Help CU annual meeting in our entire history. This year was extra special because of the stories our members shared. Our CEO, Martin Eakes, wrapped it up by talking about Self-Help CU’s geographic growth, partnerships and more.

Enjoy an Affordable Holiday

‘Tis the season when we’re bombarded with enticements to spend extra money, presumably to have happy holidays. The truth is that overspending can make for a very unhappy new year.

A few simple actions can help avoid giving your wallet a nasty holiday hangover. We’ve culled the Internet for advice on managing holiday spending, and here we share just a few favorite tips with you:

In case you missed it: We’re happy to announce two new additions to the Self-Help Credit Union family, both located in South Carolina. Welcome to Palmetto Trust Federal Credit Union located in Columbia, and also to CommunityWorks Federal Credit Union in Greenville. Palmetto Trust Federal officially joined us on September 1. CommunityWorks followed on October 1.

In the late 1970s, when Martha Miller was asked to manage a credit union for Burlington Industries employees, she said, “What’s a credit union?” The Greensboro, North Carolina resident went on to serve as CEO of Choice Federal Credit Union (originally Burlington Employees Federal CU), and ultimately became a leader in NC’s credit union movement.

Seventeen years ago, this November, marks a big day in West Oakland—the inception of People’s Community Partnership Federal Credit Union. People’s was the first and only affordable financial institution in West Oakland in over 40 years. Our latest legacy video tells the story of People’s—now part of Self-Help Federal—a story of true labor of love and activism to build economic power in Oakland’s low-income neighborhoods.

It is heartening to see how many groups have quickly mobilized to help victims of Hurricane Florence. Here we have compiled a quick reference list of resources for donating to reputable groups.