1st Financial Federal Credit Union Makes Positive Impact in Community
January 16, 2015
1st Financial Federal Credit Union started the Helping People 1st Grant program to make a positive impact in the St. Louis area.� As part of 1st Financials vision of "helping our members achieve their financial dreams," this program was created to support nonprofit organizations that provide community assistance with an emphasis in Education, Housing, Financial Literacy, or Job Training.�
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"The commitment our employees show to work for their communities touches my heart, said Carol Minges, Chief Executive Officer of 1st Financial Federal Credit Union.� "We have a team of people that volunteer not because they have to serve.� They volunteer because they have a calling to serve.� �Seeing their dedication to selflessly help others is another reminder for me about why it is so great to work for a credit union."
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Beginning in February, branch employees picked a new 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization to serve each month.� The employees were encouraged to schedule paid volunteer time during work hours and held fundraising activities to support the charity.� At the end of the month, the nonprofit received a $500 contribution from 1st Financial as well as any additional donations earned from fundraising within the branches.
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"Our focus is always on strengthening our community, says Tracy Verner, Brand Ambassador for 1st Financial Federal Credit Union.� "We purposefully sought out�501(c) 3 charities who demonstrated the ability to affect real change in each of the four communities we serve.� These personal collaborative experiences gave our employees insight and motivated them to do more- volunteering more, hold more fundraising events, and creating more awareness for these wonderful causes!"
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She continued, stating that "Time and time again we made lasting connections with organizations whose core values are very close to our own and impacted the communities we serve! I look forward to working with many of these allies again in 2015 and the years to come!"
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In 2014, 1st Financial employees worked over 462 hours of paid volunteer time scrubbing out storerooms, sorting canned goods, cleaning up gardens, and building part of a house.� Over the course of the year this program presented $15,624.65 to charitable organizations within the St. Louis area.� Those organizations included:
��������� Gateway 180: Homelessness Reversed (Housing) (Education)
��������� O.A.S.I.S. Food Pantry (Job Training)
��������� PAKT Community Center (Education)
��������� Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County (Housing)
��������� North Grand Neighborhood Services (Housing) (Education)
��������� Willows Way (Housing) (Job Training)
��������� KidSmart (Education) (Housing)
��������� Connections to Success (Job Training) (Financial Literacy)
��������� Youth In Need (Job Training)
��������� Junior Achievement (Financial Literacy)
��������� St. Louis Crisis Nursery (Education)
The Helping People 1st Grant program has had a long-term effect on the organizations that were served in 2014:� "Some organizations talk about making a difference, but 1st�Financial�makes a difference," said Toni Burrow, President of PAKT Community Center.� "It is hard for me to put into words what I am feeling in my heart about what 1st Financial�did for the PAKT organization this past year.� The 1st Financial employees who served in the pantry were needed and much appreciated."�
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She continued saying, "Over three hundred individuals were served because of 1st Financial's efforts.�� I am especially grateful for the collaborative partnership 1st Financial and PAKT has formed to help "Fill the Need" of those we serve who are in crisis in the Ferguson and the North St. Louis County communities."
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1st Financial Federal Credit Union will continue supporting the St. Louis area with the Helping People 1st Grant program in 2015, starting in January with the St. Charles City-County Library Foundation.
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For more information about 1st Financial Federal Credit Union and the credit union difference, please visit www.1stfinancialfcu.org
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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.
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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.
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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 with 1st Financial Federal Credit Union. Visit www.TheBetterWayToBank.org for more information.