Self-Help Shares

It was a day of pride and gratitude. On September 16, kids, parents, elected officials and community leaders celebrated the completion of KIPP Durham College Prep, a public charter school dedicated to serving lower-income students and closing the achievement gap. “KIPP,” which is a national non-profit network of public charter schools, stands for the “Knowledge is Power Program.”

We’ve been inspired by the determination of Tracy Scott, a Self-Help borrower and entrepreneur who knows how to make dreams happen.  Take a minute to meet Tracy in our latest video and find out about some really tasty salad dressings, too.

When you talk to Ed Holland, Jr. about his career, two words come up a lot: trust and loyalty. In his 35 years as CEO of Greater Piedmont Credit Union, he worked hard to meet the financial needs of his members. They, in turn, have shown a strong loyalty to their credit union.

Greater Piedmont officially became part of the Self-Help family in April this year. Merging two businesses is never simple, but when considering the possibility, Ed and his board of directors were confident that the fit was right.

We’re pleased to announce that Durham’s Kent Corner development is a project finalist for the U.S. Green Building Council North Carolina’s Sustainable Business Award. We are proud to share this honor with the other inspiring finalists.

We at Self-Help like to say we give blood, sweat and tears to our mission, and sometimes the blood donation is literal.  On Tuesday this week Self-Help Credit Union in Durham worked with the American Red Cross to hold an on-site blood drive, where staff members and some of our local neighbors had an opportunity to participate. Altogether, Self-Helpers and friends gave 25 units of blood! Each unit can save up to three people’s lives, so as many as 75 recipients could benefit.

Excuse us if we’re a little weepy at Self-Help this week. We’re missing our summer interns, most of whom had their final day with us last Friday.  These accomplished students and recent graduates come to us with loads of talent and a strong sense of mission, and we get pretty attached.

For almost a century, Myers Park Presbyterian Church (“Myers Park”) has been engaged in the project of making life better for people in the Charlotte community. In the early 2000s, Myers Park leaders held a series of robust community dialogues to figure out how they could do more good in their community. Again and again, these conversations pointed to a great need in the nearby Grier Heights neighborhood.

Your opinion counts. Tell the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop debt-trap payday loans once and for all!  

Image from stopthedebttrap.org

Eighteen Self-Help Credit Union branches awarded $500 education scholarships for students active in their community. This is the second year Self-Help has sponsored scholarships statewide.

Students were judged on their proven commitment to community service through leadership or volunteer activities. To be eligible students have to be enrolled or planning to enroll in a post-secondary college or vocational school and write an essay on the importance of being active in the community.

June is National Homeownership Month, an occasion well worth celebrating. That’s because families who own homes are able to acquire wealth, not just income. According to a 2014 Federal Reserve study, homeowners, on average, have a median net worth that is 36 times greater than renters--$195,400 for owners versus $5,400 for families that rent.  Owning a home remains America’s best and most reliable path to economic opportunity.