St. Louis, MO - 1st Financial created the Helping People 1st grant program with the purpose of making a positive impact on the communities they serve. To achieve this goal, each month one of their four branches receives a $500 grant to be awarded to a charitable organization that best serves the community they inhabit in accordance with the 1st Financial core purpose of
"Helping people achieve their financial dreams". The employees are also given paid time to volunteer during work hours and hold fundraising activities to add to the overall donation. The 1st Financial Washington Avenue branch initiated the program by choosing Gateway 180: Homelessness Reversed, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit in Downtown St. Louis.
Since 1986, Gateway 180: Homelessness Reversed has been a service for women and families affected by homelessness in the Saint Louis area. The charity, located at 1000 North 19th Street in St. Louis, is the largest 24 hour emergency housing organization in the state for families and provides facilities that work to end homelessness through the support of donors, collaborative partners, and charitable fundraising.
"We wanted to find an organization that served like credit unions serve. A grass roots sort of organization," said Karen Neel, Branch Manager of the 1st Financial downtown St. Louis branch. "Gateway 180 keeps the families together. They try to keep that normalcy in place during a familys tough time. They help cover the necessities while the parents have time to work on setting their path to get back on track, helping them deal with the bumps in the road."
On top of the $500 grant, 1st Financial hosted multiple bake sales and raffles to raise additional funds. Every Friday, the employees wore jeans and t-shirts featuring "You Help People" slogans to bring attention to the program and how by being a part of a credit union, members of 1st Financial are investing in their community. A group of employees met at the downtown branch to make one hundred bag lunches, tour the shelter, assist with childcare, and build a multi-purpose room for after school activities. The next day, Brand Ambassador Tracy Verner and Branch Sales Manager, Renee Markert of 1st Financial gave educational seminars on basic budgeting practices, predatory lending, and an overview of the services 1st Financial offers its members.
The total gift including the grant and funds donated as a result of the weekly raffles and bake sales added up to $1600.02.
Bree DeGraw, Development Director of Gateway 180: Homelessness Reversed was thrilled by the program. "We are grateful for the generous donation from 1st Financial Federal Credit Union as it directly supports our mission to empower adults and families to become independent and permanently housed."
Verner was enthusiastic about the
Helping People 1st grant program. "Credit unions were born with the philosophy of people helping people. Not only do we have a reputation for lower interest rates and convenient products, but we are always looking for ways to help people. With this
Helping People 1st program, 1st Financial is able to empower the communities we serve with the grant, with volunteers, and our ability to really showcase the organizations that are serving our community."
For more information on Gateway 180 and volunteering to help them end homelessness in the St. Louis area, please visit www.gateway180.org or call (314) 231-1515.
For more information on 1st Financial Federal Credit Union and their Helping People 1st grant program, visit www.TheBetterWayToBank.org or call (636) 916-8300.
(Featured in photo: R to L Tracy Verner, Brand Ambassador, 1st Financial Federal Credit Union; Bree DeGraw, Development Director, Gateway 180: Homelessness Reversed; and Karen Neel, Branch Manager, 1st Financial Federal Credit Union)
About 1st Financial Federal Credit Union Like all credit unions, 1st Financial is a member-owned, financial cooperative. 1st Financial Federal Credit Union was chartered on September 3, 1968 as District 837 Credit Union by the International Association of Machinist members employed by McDonnell Douglas. Today, with over 30,000 members and nearly $200 million in assets, 1st Financial is a St. Louis metro area financial institution dedicated to helping members achieve their financial dreams. For over 45 years 1st Financial has provided members with a full line of dependable financial products and services which returns profits to the members in the form of lower rates on loans and higher savings yields. The cooperative nature of credit unions enables 1st Financial to provide products and services at very reasonable rates. 1st Financial Federal Credit Union serves those who live, work, worship, attend school, or regularly conduct business in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County, Missouri and a wide array of companies throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. 1st Financial is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial organization committed to providing quality services to the membership while demonstrating safe and sound business practices. Deposits are federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), an agency of the U.S. Government. Not a credit union member? If you live, work, worship, attend school, or regularly conduct business in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County, Missouri, you can open an account today.
