This post was updated on January 15, 2020.
New Year’s greetings to all members, partners and friends!
As we start a new year, we at Self-Help Credit Union are excited about expanding services in several new locations as we renew and extend our commitments in Florida and the Carolinas. In 2019, we opened a new branch in Apopka, Florida, moved our Maiden, North Carolina branch, and opened a new branch in Charlotte.
In December, we were pleased to welcome a new credit union to the Self-Help family as we merged with Turbine Federal Credit Union in Greenville, South Carolina. Turbine, which serves a number of member groups, including communications and utilities employees, comes to us with about 3,000 members. Turbine began in 1976, and we are honored to build on their long legacy in Greenville.
On January 1, we welcomed another new credit union, First Legacy Community Credit Union. First Legacy CCU started in 1941 by serving African-American school employees, and by the 1990s it had grown into the state’s largest minority-owned credit union. Today it serves 8,000 members out of three locations in Charlotte, Gastonia and Salisbury. We look forward to serving all of our newest members!
And, coming very soon, we are pleased to be opening a new regional branch in Raleigh. The new branch, located at 7029 Harps Mill Road, will help us provide convenient services to existing members while offering new opportunities for affordable financial services to families in Raleigh and surrounding areas.
A new Self-Help branch opens in Raleigh, NC in January.
This is a time when our mission—expanding economic opportunity for all—has never been more vital. Many families are struggling: burdened with heavy debt, living in fear because of their immigration status, or lying awake at night because their children are hungry. These conditions weaken families and undermine our strength as a nation.
We will continue our work on many fronts to increase our impact as a lender and community development financial institution. To provide hands-on help to members, we have launched a nationwide financial capability initiative in partnership with critical local allies such as OnTrack in western North Carolina and GreenPath in Jacksonville, Florida. designed to help our members understand and meet their financial needs and aspirations.
Through our affiliate, the Center for Responsible Lending, we’re working with partners on a national level to fight barriers to economic success such as payday loans, escalating student debt and abusive debt collection practices. On the local level, our branch staff are working with partners to reduce food insecurity and improve childhood nutrition. With your help, we advocated for a stronger Farm-to-School program, a policy to connect NC farmers with school cafeterias, and we also helped stock local food pantries.
This year Self-Help branches donated more than 2,300 backpacks, filled with snacks and supplies, to local schools.
Given the magnitude of need in our communities, it’s more important than ever to be heard. Regardless of which party or candidates you support, please make it a priority to vote.
And as we head into a new decade, please do not forget to participate in the 2020 Census. Inaccurate census numbers have real consequences that affect government representation and the allocation of many resources. Please make sure you and your family are counted.
Thank you for the deposits that make our work possible, and for your loyalty and trust. On behalf of all our staff, I send warmest wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year!
Randy Chambers
President, Self-Help Credit Union