Self-Help Shares

2016 marked the first full year of Self-Help Shares, our blog that helps members and friends stay up to date. The blog covers a wide range of news, from personal profiles of inspiring people to practical financial information to save you time and money.

Here we look back at the 10 topics that received the strongest response from readers in the past year.

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2016 was a challenging year in North Carolina, including fires and floods. But it was also a year of many notable accomplishments by Self-Help members. Cheers to our new homeowners, creative entrepreneurs, resilient neighborhoods, determined students, tireless volunteers and all of our members and partners. 

From us at Self-Help, this tribute is for you.

We received a lovely delivery at our Asheville branch this week: a dish of harvest stuffing, along with a sweet note from a home loan borrower.

What a delightful -– and delicious -– surprise! We love connecting with our members, and we love helping people become homeowners.

To the home owner who sent us this kind surprise: thank you. You made our week.

And to all our members and friends, we’re wishing you a wonderful holiday season, filled with kindness, connection, and the little moments that make you smile.

As NC struggles with two disasters—the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in the eastern part of the state and raging wildfires in the west—we salute the thousands of people who are helping. Many Self-Help members and staff have provided extraordinary service or joined in volunteer efforts. Here we offer a brief sample of stories, and we will continue to collect more.

Dancers from Ballet Folklorico Xochitl

Second Federal, a Division of Self-Help Federal Credit Union comprises three branches in Chicago, including the Little Village branch. Second Federal began life in 1882 as a savings and loan association. When financial hard times forced the thrift to close in 2012, Self-Help Federal Credit Union (SHFCU) joined with partners to save it, bringing Second Federal into the Self-Help family. Now Second Federal is a full-service division of SHFCU.

On November 9, Self-Help held its annual meeting in downtown Durham, providing members and guests with delicious local food and also plenty of food for thought.

The theme of the event was “Building Opportunity through Clean Energy.”

At Self-Help, we seek ways to fund small businesses, increase access to fresh food, and boost financial opportunities in rural communities. So when a potential borrower accomplishes all three of these goals with one enterprise, it gets our attention. We’re pleased to announce that we recently closed a $150,000 Small Business Administration (SBA) loan with Seal the Seasons, a small business created by entrepreneur Patrick Mateer.

To run a successful school, administrators must juggle a daunting list of goals aimed at providing high-quality education while maintaining financial stability. For many schools, energy efficiency and protecting the environment never even make it to the list.

Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School (ANCS), located in Georgia, is a shining exception. In this high-performing public charter school, school leaders decided to make energy efficiency a priority as they renovated the campus in 2012.

We are feeling very lucky at Self-Help Credit Union this week. On Monday, we were able to re-open two of our branches – in Kinston and Windsor, NC – that were closed temporarily last week because of damage from Hurricane Matthew. Thanks to many dedicated staff and vendors, both branches are again up and running.

But we are painfully aware that many communities in eastern North Carolina and elsewhere have not been so fortunate. Many people continue to face hardships from storm damage and flooding. Significant parts of NC are underwater, and several thousand families are still living in shelters or trying to get by without essentials such as clean running water.