Happy new year to all our members and friends!
Self-Help’s most popular blog posts in 2018 reflect both the hardships and victories our communities experienced this year. It’s a tribute to your volunteer spirit that one of our most popular posts was aimed at helping victims of Hurricane Florence. Other stories covered happier news, like the growth of small businesses, a new branch in Rocky Mount and Self-Help’s expanded service in South Carolina.
To stay up-to-date in 2019, be sure to subscribe to our blog and other news. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy these stories from the past year.
10. Self-Help’s John Herrera Honored for “Changing the South.” John Herrera, Self-Help Cu's Senior VP of Latino and Hispanic Affairs, was honored to be named by TIME Magazine as one of "31 People Who Are Changing the South."
![john-herrera John Herrera](/images/default-source/default-album/john-herrera.jpg?sfvrsn=b23195d9_2)
9. Inspired by Our Members—A Wonderful Annual Meeting. "Let your faith be greater than your fear." This might have been our most inspiring annual meeting ever.
![annualmeeting_durham_2018_3 Self-Help annual meeting 2018](/images/default-source/default-album/annualmeeting_durham_2018_3.jpg?sfvrsn=a43195d9_0)
8. Welcome to Two Credit Unions in South Carolina. Recently we announced two new additions to the Self-Help Credit Union family, both located in South Carolina.
![sc-mergers Graphic representing SH mergers in SC](/images/default-source/default-album/sc-mergers0b4df68da67d63d397e2ff0000889687.jpg?sfvrsn=523095d9_1)
7. SBA 504 Offers a Path for Smart Business Growth. WorkSmart has continued to grow year over year, appearing on the INC 5000 list, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies, 11 years in a row.
![worksmart WorkSmart company](/images/default-source/default-album/worksmart1b4df68da67d63d397e2ff0000889687.jpg?sfvrsn=423095d9_1)
6. Self-Help Opens New Branch in Rocky Mount, NC. Torey Thompson, who grew up in Rocky Mount, NC, returned to his hometown to serve as City Executive of Self-Help's new branch office.
![torey-thompson Torey Thompson in Rocky Mount branch](/images/default-source/default-album/torey-thompson5a4df68da67d63d397e2ff0000889687.jpg?sfvrsn=33095d9_0)
5. Small Business Skyrockets from Microloan to SBA 504 Loan. Entrepreneur Nana Manso (shown left below) leveraged an $8,000 microloan to launch Skyrock Construction, into a multi-million dollar business.
![skyrock2_2018 Skyrocket in Raleigh, NC](/images/default-source/default-album/skyrock2_2018.jpg?sfvrsn=323095d9_1)
4. Don’t Risk Missing Your Tax Refund. A reminder to our members, especially our newer members, to double check account numbers provided to the Internal Revenue Service.
![tax-refund-stock Consulting on tax refund](/images/default-source/default-album/tax-refund-stock794df68da67d63d397e2ff0000889687.jpg?sfvrsn=203095d9_1)
3. Growing Eastern NC’s Local Food Economy. Self-Help hosted an event in Wilmington, NC where farmers, seafood producers, food distributors and policy experts explored ways to expand economic opportunity for farmers and other food entrepreneurs.
![eastern-nc-producers Eastern NC producers](/images/default-source/default-album/eastern-nc-producers.jpg?sfvrsn=f83095d9_1)
2. How to Help Hurricane Florence Victims It was heartening to see how many groups quickly mobilized to help victims of Hurricane Florence. Here we offered resources for those who want to help.
![loading-car-with-donation-bags Helping victims of Hurricane Florence](/images/default-source/default-album/loading-car-with-donation-bags.jpg?sfvrsn=e23095d9_1)
1. Scholarships Now Available. Since 2015, each Self-Help CU branch has awarded Community Scholarships to students with a proven commitment to community service.
![scholarship-collage-numbers-1 Self-Help scholarship winners 2018](/images/default-source/default-album/scholarship-collage-numbers-1.jpg?sfvrsn=943095d9_1)