FIRST CALGARY SUPPORTS MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY
Shelley Vandenberg and her team at First Calgary are on a mission to make a difference with money.
“Community is everyone’s responsibility,” says Vandenberg, president of First Calgary Financial.
“When you’re our member, your money is making a genuine and lasting contribution to the financial success of Calgary. It’s our mission.”
The leadership and team members at First Calgary Financial, a division of Connect First Credit Union, have introduced a series of creative initiatives this year to further support Calgarians.
Mindful of the current economic challenges, the team set out to spread holiday cheer this season by paying bills, covering rent, taking care of mortgage payments and providing funds to help relieve the stress and burden of loan payments.
“It’s humbling and meaningful to be able to give back in this way, and we encourage everyone to find their own impactful ways to celebrate this season of giving,” says Vandenberg.
The team also launched a new community grant program this year called Act Local in which individuals and groups are invited to apply for funding to support projects and events.
And in an effort to promote gift giving that has a positive long-term effect on people’s financial health, First Calgary introduced gift certificates that can be invested into a variety of deposit options such as an RESP, RSP, TFSA or simply to boost one’s personal savings.
“What if instead of ‘things’ we gave our loved ones a head start— a chance to gain financial literacy skills and savings?” asks Vandenberg.
“This is what we wanted to encourage this season. Saving early and consistently is the bestway to build for the future.”
First Calgary was also the first institution in Alberta to introduce an alternative to payday lending with the launch of it sCash Crunch Loan in August.
“Every year, we see hundreds of our members make funds transfers to payday lenders, often putting these individuals in dire financial situations,” she says.
“We offered our skills and resources to help loan recipients build a path to personal financial wellness, while building positive and trusted relationships with our credit union.
“Two of our pilot participants have now journeyed to a place of financial stability where they’ve qualified for their first mortgages — that’s true positive impact.”