Impacting lives and communities
THE BUSY streets were filled with tourists purchasing local craft products, and residents from the town hailed each other with a wave and a smile. This was the sight on the main street in Ocho Rios, and nestled at the right corner stood a three-storey building with the signage written in blue and white – First Regional Co-operative Credit Union.
This proud credit union with a 55-year history has served its members in St Ann and St Mary for many years. The CEO of First Regional Co-operative Credit Union, Patricia Smith, shared her earliest interaction with the credit union.
“The credit union chose me from an early age. My father was a member and he took me as a child to get funds for my books and school fees.”
Fast-forward years later – December 1999 – when Smith joined the credit union. She explained that the credit union is here to make a difference; to create an impact in the lives of its members.
According to her, “We were the sleeping giants. We didn’t have the visibility we have now, and that visibility occurred when First Regional Cooperative Credit Union began in 2006. It was the amalgamation of the St Ann Co-operative Credit Union and the St Mary Co-operative Credit Union, which proved to be a positive one, as it sought to improve the welfare of the less fortunate and shape the future of the communities in which it operates.
“It’s about the people, it’s about helping the people to succeed and achieve. A co-operative must care about the community,” she said.
While speaking about how the credit union assists its members, Smith proudly showed the credit union’s achievement wall and thank-you messages from its members, who are truly grateful for the credit union’s assistance.