RALEIGH, N.C., July 30, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In just eleven short years, State Employees' Credit Union (SECU) members via the SECU Foundation have invested over $100 million in North Carolina, helping fellow citizens with high impact projects in the core areas of education, housing, healthcare and human services! Since receiving its charter in 2004, SECU Foundation has been funded through the deferral of SECU checking account holders' $1.00 monthly maintenance fee to the Foundation, using a simple concept and the power of a dollar to demonstrate its strong belief in the cooperative spirit of helping others.
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Through the years, SECU Foundation has embarked on many projects that have had a positive effect in North Carolina, beginning with its first initiative to assist both high school and community college students in all 100 counties – the "People Helping People" scholarship program. Allocating $4 million each year, awarding a $10,000 four-year college scholarship to a graduating senior in each traditional public high school and three charter schools, and two $5,000 college scholarships to each of North Carolina's 58 community colleges, the program's monetary commitment reached $46 million in 2015. Other Foundation educational initiatives include Continuing Education scholarships, Biz Kid$ and Exploring North Carolina programming, and the SECU Daily Planet – the centerpiece of the NC Museum of Natural Science's Nature Research Center – that delivers distance learning programs to North Carolina students of all ages.
Equally as far-reaching are initiatives that help build or expand facilities that address community needs in the areas of housing, healthcare and human services. There are currently 4 teacher housing projects aiding in the recruitment and retention of educators in counties where affordable housing is extremely limited; 14 hospice homes assisting with end-of-life and respite care patient services; 3 SECU Family Houses offering affordable accommodations for patients and patient families of those being treated at area hospitals; the SECU Cancer Center in Asheville providing treatment, research and outreach in affiliation with the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC Hospitals; and numerous North Carolina Housing Finance Agency initiatives giving broad-based support for citizens experiencing societal challenges. These projects are but a mere glimpse of the comprehensive list of projects ongoing or currently underway.
"The SECU Foundation began as a dream and became a reality through the compassionate efforts and generous contributions from our members, illustrating what the power of a dollar can do when we work together," said McKinley Wooten, Jr., Chairman of SECU Foundation's Board of Directors. "SECU Foundation's accomplishments over the last eleven years have made a deep and meaningful difference in the lives of many North Carolinians. SECU members have big hearts and their unwavering commitment to the credit union philosophy of 'People Helping People' remains unmatched. We look forward to what SECU Foundation can achieve in the years ahead!"
About SECU and the SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for 78 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trusts, estate planning and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves 2 million members through 254 branch offices, over 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Contact Centers and a website, www.ncsecu.org. The SECU Foundation, a 501c (3) charitable organization funded solely by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services.
