Neighborhood CU’s annual prize savings delivery goes virtual

North Texas woman starts 2021 with nearly $50K in prize winnings

As it has for 13 years in a row, Neighborhood Credit Union surprised one of its members last week with a $49,999 grand prize to kick off the new year as a reward for good savings habits in her Prize Savings Account.

Neighborhood Credit Union created the Prize Savings Account in 2007 as an innovative approach to help reverse the lowest savings rate in U.S. history. The idea was to encourage more members to save money by offering prizes and rewards throughout the year, so members could experience immediate and tangible incentives and discover how good savings habits can reap unexpected rewards. The giveaways culminate with the grand prize drawing every New Year’s Day.

In a sign of the times, this year’s surprise was delivered virtually instead of face to face. The winner, Yvonne, was initially skeptical when she joined the online presentation.

“Are you kidding?” she exclaimed when told she had just won nearly $50,000. “Oh, my goodness! I knew I was winning something, but I had just hoped it might be enough to pay someone to clean up the leaves in my backyard. God is good.”

Yvonne, who lives near Fort Worth, Texas, joined Neighborhood CU with her family in 1992. Over the years, she said she has relied on her credit union to help her in a variety of ways, noting that one of Neighborhood Credit Union’s team members had recently advised her about what to do with her Individual Retirement Account, given the pandemic. “You all have been really good anytime I need help,” she said. “Professional, but also like family.”

When asked about her approach to saving money, Yvonne said her parents taught her to save.

“I have never lived beyond my means,” she said. “I put a little back from every paycheck and find ways to be frugal, like driving a nice used car or shopping at garage sales. I guess that’s the secret. Start young and save a little bit at a time. The years will go by really fast.”

Yvonne said the pandemic has kept her at home and away from her family members, who live out of state, so once it becomes safe to travel again, she will use some of her winnings to spend time with them in person. The remainder likely will stay in her Prize Savings Account.

Except $100 to pay the yard guys, of course.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Neighborhood Credit Union team members Jessie Swendig, Rachel Pigman, Dana Jones, Skyler Tumbleson, and Kristen Wiley surprised longtime member and Prize Savings Account holder Yvonne (top center with her face blurred at her request) with the news that she had won nearly $50,000 as a reward for her strong savings habits.

How the Prize Savings Account works: Neighborhood Credit Union members receive one drawing entry for every $25 monthly average balance in their Prize Savings Accounts. The greater the savings, the more chances a member has of winning. Members are eligible for monthly and quarterly drawings, culminating with the annual grand prize, drawn each Jan. 1 based on the average monthly balance in the savings account at the close of business on Dec. 31.

About Neighborhood Credit Union
The first credit union in Dallas (chartered April 18, 1930), Neighborhood Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial organization that serves Texans from all walks of life. With locations across North Texas, Neighborhood Credit Union has a membership of 56,500 and continues to welcome new members daily across Texas.