Self-Help Shares

As of 2022, there are currently 5,204 credit unions with over 132 million members in the United States. If you’re reading this, you probably already know why you’re a member of a credit union, but do you know what makes a credit union different from traditional banks, and more important, what credit unions can do to empower individuals and communities? Read more to find out.

The worker-owners of New Bern Bakery, Self-Help’s first backers, outside their storefront in 1981.

Did you know that as a credit union, Self-Help is one of many thousands of cooperative enterprises? There are currently over sixty-four thousand cooperatively owned and operated businesses in the U.S. working to meet a wide range of consumer and community needs, including financial institutions, restaurants and retail stores, manufacturers, and even utilities. Read more about how co-ops work and their potential for supporting strong and thriving local economies.

Self-Help is more than a credit union. Along with you, our members, we're a family of organizations that includes a lending organization; two credit unions serving the Southeast, Midwest, and West Coast; and the Center for Responsible Lending, our advocacy and research arm. Read about a few recent highlights from our efforts to achieve our mission in communities around the country and through each part of the Self-Help family. 

Pictured: Megan Cain, owner of The ZEN Succulent, outside her Durham, NC storefront. Photo credit: Allie Mullin Photography

Megan Cain has worked a variety of jobs since college, but her childhood connection to plants and nature never left her. Megan was born and raised in Raleigh, NC in a house full of exotic plants, and her parents used the plants to instill a sense of responsibility and empathy with living things in Megan and her brother. It wasn't until Megan, well into her career, realized that she could be doing a lot more with her skills and talents, and decided to try her hand at selling handmade terrariums. Read about how she turned this side-business into both a career and a legacy for her growing family.

A deep personal connection to food and cooking runs in Deven and Marquita Carter’s families. The children of a caterer and a chef, respectively, the Carters grew up knowing the importance of good quality, healthy ingredients and food made with love, but didn’t expect it would become their legacy. When a health crisis forced them to rethink their diets, they decided to draw on their backgrounds in food and entrepreneurship to turn their family recipes into a successful business. Read more about their journey.

Jayme Williams and her husband Darris have come a long way to their growing childcare center in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. While their business — Successful Start Child Development Center — is now in high demand, reaching this point has taken a lot of perseverance, dedication, and a willingness to take chances. 

“It wasn’t until the last couple of years that I felt like I was capable of it. It took a lot of courage.” While the idea of starting a business from scratch was daunting, Jayme knew she had not only the necessary knowledge and skills from her decades of childcare experience, but also a supportive partner in her husband Darris. “When we saw an opportunity, we went for it,” she says. Read more about their path to business ownership.

At Self-Help, we appreciate that the food we all eat is the product of a whole system, not just the restaurant or supermarket where we buy it. We also believe that everyone should have access to fresh, high-quality food. Read about how we're working to support sustainable and healthy food systems from farm to fork through food systems lending, policy and advocacy efforts, and strong partnerships. 

We're thrilled to announce Self-Help's 2022 Scholarship winners! Each year, branches across the country award a $1,000 scholarship to a local student who not only demonstrates strong academics but also shows a commitment to community service and volunteerism. Check out this year's winners.

 

Markita and her husband Nique, both originally from Zebulon, NC, knew they needed more space but were nervous to take the first step toward buying their own home. With five growing children, they could see that renting wouldn't be able to meet their needs much longer. Read about their journey to homeownership.

At Self-Help, we’ve spent the last 42 years striving to be a force for economic and social justice in the communities we serve. Learn how we’re working to reverse the economic disparities that keep Black and Latino families from reaching the same levels of prosperity as others.