Hope at the Table
We often meet our members out in our community. We host a table at the Ballard Food Bank regularly. Maybe you think a Food Bank is for people without hope or a work ethic. We know that this is not the case. In our community, where low-income is defined as a household of three making $105,000 or less, many hard-working people must seek help to make ends meet.
Our financial education specialist Ray met Justin at the Ballard Food Bank recently. Justin approached Ray to ask about our financial education. The conversation led to a one-on-one session that focused on budgeting, building savings, and improving Justin’s credit score.
After a one-on-one, Ray invited Justin to attend our series of three free basics of investing online classes. After attending the classes, Justin decided to join the powerful movement, which is Express Credit Union. We are glad he did.
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Justin is like many of our members. He works hard at two jobs. He does not have many financial obligations, which puts him in a strong position to make meaningful choices for his future. But he lacks experience and access to reliable, personalized guidance. With Ray providing this guidance, Justin saw hope. Instead of being stuck in that wheel of hard work, he began to build a structure for the future. He could “see the light at the end of the tunnel”.
Justin has already begun to put learning into action. Financial journeys take time, but Express Credit Union is grateful to be part of Justin’s ongoing journey as well as this small step forward with Ray.
You can watch the recordings of the three Investing Education classes online https://www.expresscu.org/services/counseling/
About the author:
Helen Gibson is CEO of Express Credit Union, a local, not-for-profit credit union built to keep more money in the pockets of Washington’s hard-working people, regardless of their income, immigration status, or history with traditional banking. Learn more at www.expresscu.org.
