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| Pictured (from left): José Rochez (Winston-Salem Branch Manager) and Gerardo Obando (Carrboro Branch Manager) received the Dora Maxwell award on behalf of the Latino Community Credit Union. |
The NC Credit Union League honored Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU) for its community involvement efforts in 2011. LCCU won honorable mention in the statewide Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award category. The credit union received its award June 11 at a recognition banquet at the 77th Annual Meeting of the NC Credit Union League.
The annual Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Award recognizes and promotes credit unions’ social responsibility efforts within the communities they serve. Latino won honorable mention in the $100 - $200 million asset category for a program it developed to assist refugees living in NC.
Refugees coming to NC may have little in common in terms of language and culture, but they often share one unfortunate quality – they have fled their homeland to escape war, persecution and violence. Agencies across NC assist refugees coming to NC, but these agencies focus on meeting immediate needs.
To assist refugee populations, LCCU developed an outreach program aimed at sharing the importance of developing a relationship with a financial institution. Through a series of workshops, credit union staff also educates refugees about finance and budgeting. Through these efforts, refugee populations are learning financial lessons to help them build wealth and prosperity.
“Breaking down barriers that prevent newcomer communities from accessing fair credit options and affordable financial services is at the very core of LCCU’s mission. Latino immigrants have faced many of the same challenges that refugee populations now face when entering the United States.” Said Erika Bell, Vice President of Strategies and Services at the Latino Community Credit Union. “ We are proud to be in a position to empower refugee communities through education and ethical financial services, and we hope to continue our work with our refugee resettlement agency partners to ensure that all communities have access to economic opportunities.”