From Community to International Collaboration, CUs Help People Rise

Cornerstone League recognizes member credit unions’ news about their growth, expansion, and community endeavors to exemplify the “people helping people” philosophy.

Ghana Credit Unions Visit True Sky After a Year of Collaboration

For more than a year, credit unions in Ghana have been collaborating regularly with True Sky Credit Union in Oklahoma City. They have weekly Teams calls, rotating among seven different tracks to learn about each other and their processes. Those tracks include youth and women development, sustainability, technology usage, governance, individual development plans, micro-lending, and digitalization.

True Sky President/CEO Sean Cahill said this collaboration culminated in the Ghana credit unions visiting his credit union for a week and seeing how Oklahoma credit unions serve their members and communities.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” Cahill said. “A truly was an inspiring week with the Ghana credit unions and the chair of ACCOSCA talking about the purest form of what we do, down to $10 micro-loans to fishmongers to mend their nets.”

UFCU Helps First-Generation College Students Save Hundreds of Dollars

Navigating the first year of college can be difficult and expensive for anyone, particularly for first-generation college students. Having additional funds for food or miscellaneous expenses can be a game-changer. That’s why Austin-based UFCU hosts an annual College Dorm Basket Drive for students associated with pivotal community organizations in Austin: Breakthrough Central Texas, Communities in School, and Con Mi MADRE.

UFCU has served the college-student population for nearly 90 years and understands how a college education can facilitate long-term financial security. On Aug. 6 at UFCU Plaza, UFCU hosted a panel interview with student recipients of this year’s college dorm baskets.

UFCU employees gathered their time and treasure to create college dorm baskets full of supplies to meet a student’s everyday needs. Each basket is valued at more than $350. The impact of 2024 UFCU college dorm baskets in terms of dollars is $12,600. UFCU employees donated about $11,100 worth of dorm essentials, and the credit union provides each of the three community organizations with $500 donations ($1,500 total).