It’s a great couple months to work at the credit union! We’ll be closed in November for Veterans Day and then two days at Thanksgiving. Then the credit union will be closed for two days at Christmas and then again on New Year’s Day. That’s 6 days off over a span of five weeks! I’m certainly not complaining. One thing to remember is that the days before and after holidays are always much more busy than usual. I think it’s well worth it though to get to spend time with loved ones and put the worries of work aside.
What do you think? What days do you have off this holiday season? What days do you wish you had off?
Last night the Piedmont Chapter of Credit Unions got together. This group is made up of volunteers, members, and employees from different credit unions across southern Virginia. It was fitting to meet on International Credit Union Day. Don Graham from the Virginia Credit Union League talked about how credit unions have grown over the years all over the world and how they come to each others aid in times of need. He shared reports of how this was lived out just last month by Texas credit unions in the wake of Hurricane Ike. (You can still support credit union people affected by Ike, click here.)
Recently we actually lived it out right here. Last week while visiting a school I ran into a teacher who was already a member of Danville City Employees Federal Credit Union (through her husband). Since I’ve seen the statistics which say that credit unions only have about 10%-15% of the personal finance market share in America, I really didn’t try very hard to win her business. Rather, I complimented the other credit union and thanked her for supporting it. With 90% of people using banks, credit unions don’t need to be fighting over each others members. It really is for the good of all credit unions that we continue to support each other even when our memberships overlap like this.
Another example happened at last nights meeting. Kevin from Martinsville DuPont Credit Union, shared about what they learned from the recent phishing and vishing attack directed against their credit union. The information was very valuable and will no doubt find it’s way into one of our upcoming financial education courses.
I’m so pleased to once again be active in our local credit union chapter. I’m also glad to see the goodwill and cooperative nature of local credit unions being lived out in tangible ways. If you’re a credit union employee reading, you should certainly consider coming to a chapter meeting. The next meeting is November 6, 2008 at the Ballou Park Senior Center in Danville, VA. If you’re a member, you should be proud to be part of your credit union and please let your credit union know what you think of it. If you’re not a member, you need to find a credit union!
In a couple of weeks when your Piedmont Credit Union Fall 2008 newsletter hits your mailbox you might notice that Joan’s name does not appear with the list of employees. Now don’t panic Joan, our Super Duper Share Draft coordinator, is still here. It was completely my fault. I was in a rush to get the newsletter done before I left for vacation in September. When I added Mary, our new drive-thru teller, it pushed Joan’s name right out of sight! So I humbly ask the forgiveness of one whose kindness, gentleness, fairness, accuracy, and overall wonderfulness have endeared her to thousands of credit union members. I hope they will also forgive me for giving them a scare!
In light of those bank failures earlier this Summer, here’s a short(1 min) video about the safety and soundness of America’s credit unions. It’s from the president of the Credit Union National Association, Dan Mica.
Actually at this time Piedmont Credit Union is financially stronger than it has ever been! This is thanks to the thousands of members who have trusted us and faithfully used our services over the years.
Our latest poll asks an ethical/moral question about money. Well maybe it’s moral? I guess the poll really is geared to reveal whether or not people have morals when it comes to money or whether decisions are based on logic and consequences. Anyway here it is…
We’d like to welcome Roanoke Postal FCU to Danville. Recently the Danville Postal Employees Credit Union merged with Roanoke Postal FCU. This should grant a much broader array of services to Danville Postal employees and ensure that they have a credit union to call home for many years to come. Today they are having their open house.
Credit Unions across Virginia are once again helping the Children’s Miracle Network. Through the end of June, when you make a contribution of $5 to the Children’s Miracle Network you will receive a magnetic U.S. Flag to display proudly on any piece of metal that you choose. It’s great for cars, refrigerators, the side of your computer, or file cabinets at the credit union. But we don’t want to keep them on our file cabinets! We want you to take them home for a good cause. If you think of more places to display your Patriotism, feel free to leave it in the comments.
There are also some small cloth flags that you may take home if you make a contribution to our God’s Pit Crew Dollars For Dually campaign. Our supplies of flags are limited!
When I first heard the name “God’s Pit Crew” I thought, “What in the world is that about?” Not being a big NASCAR fan the name didn’t really resound with me. However, when I found out who they are and what all they do, I thought, “Now that is simply incredible” and I was moved to tears at their presentation.
Here’s who they are. They’re unpaid volunteers, over 200 of ’em. They’re all gifted helpers and with their combined knowledge & skill they know how to do or build just about anything. They believe in giving their time, energy, & resources towards making other people’s lives better.
Here’s what they do. When tornadoes and big storms come through anywhere around the Southern US devastating entire communities; When homes and churches are in disrepair; When local charities and food banks are low on resources; When economic hardship has sucked the life out of small towns; When people’s lives are de-railed and there seems to be no hope… God’s Pit Crew comes and injects hope into hopeless situations. Their slogan says it all, “Helping People Get Their Lives Back On Track!”
They don’t receive any profits at all for what they do. They do it completely based on faith and the financial support of ordinary people, mostly locals. They get great publicity when tragedy strikes far away and they make the big trip to rebuild places. But equally as impressive is the long list of local work they have done to benefit Southside Virginia and nearby areas in North Carolina. They have a long list of pictures, videos, and letters of thanks on their website, www.godspitcrew.org.
This summer Piedmont Credit Union is heading up a campaign to help God’s Pit Crew purchase a new dually pickup truck. They will use it to haul people and supplies all over the South. We’re calling it “Dollars for Dually”. It’s simple how it works. If you have some dollars we’re asking you to put some in the truck. Literally. The truck will be located at the credit union and other various locations with the window cracked just enough for money to fit through. Several local businesses also have donation canisters at their locations. For more information or to donate online please visit the website www.DollarsForDually.com. Below is a video excerpt of Randy Johnson speaking recently at our credit union’s annual meeting.
Yesterday while visiting one of our member companies, I met a very nice woman who had purchased a car just a few days ago. Her supervisor had wisely suggested that she check on a loan at the credit union instead of keeping the loan from the dealership. So she came to speak with me. When I calculated that her current interest rate was 21% I thought I had made a mistake, but she confirmed that I was correct. I thought perhaps she had a very rocky credit history but that was not the case. It wasn’t perfect, but it certainly wasn’t poor either. Fortunately the dealer had not processed the paperwork and she had a few hours to get a loan through our credit union.
So we made her a new loan which saved her loads of money! Below you’ll see just how much she saved…
Over $4,000 Dollars!!!! She chose to use some of that savings to buy our 48 month mechanical breakdown protection and GAP protection for her loan. Her total cost of the loan even with those add-ons was still $2,000 less than the dealer loan! As you can see, here’s yet another happy credit union member. And that’s who it’s all about!
Well I tried to start a recap of our 39th Annual Meeting the night after the meeting but all I could think about was the big Dan River Mills Long Mill Fire. So here is the official Annual Meeting recap: There wasn’t much business to discuss this year. So we mainly focused on celebrating a good year last year and looking towards the future. There was a good meal with good company. Randy Johnson of God’s Pit Crew shared from his heart about the great work they do both at home and abroad for people in need. Wade Hopkins once again amazed kids and adults alike with his great magic tricks. The kids also played a life-sized game of Payday. I was really impressed by the kids who played. They made great decisions with their money and didn’t fall for any the bum deals I threw in.
Here’s a short 3 minute video of our 2008 Annual Meeting.
Thanks for being a member of the credit union! Next year’s will be our credit union’s 40th Anniversary. Ideas for a big celebration are welcomed!
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Posted by Dan Veasey 
Flag to display proudly on any piece of metal that you choose. It’s great for cars, refrigerators, the side of your computer, or file cabinets at the credit union. But we don’t want to keep them on our file cabinets! We want you to take them home for a good cause. If you think of more places to display your Patriotism, feel free to leave it in the comments.
Piedmont Credit Union Member Connect 
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