Finally! ¡Por Fin! ‘Bout Time!

Article found at EPA.net.

Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto Is Open For Business

Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto opened its doors for business on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. After three years of planning, much hard work, and unwavering faith, the dream of a mainstream financial institution owned and governed by the residents of East Palo Alto is a reality. Why is this important? Because the people of East Palo Alto and surrounding communities will now have easy access to high quality, low-cost financial services to take care of their everyday needs and a way to build assets for the future.

Community Trust Credit Union (CTCU) is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution that has been established since 1961. Under the leadership of President and CEO Joe Duran, CTCU has become one of the most respected community development credit unions in the country largely because of its mission “to provide excellent personal service” to all of its members. That means it specializes in providing education, information, and end-use products that support financial stability for individuals and families who may not have experience in the financial mainstream helping them to take care of their day-to-day needs while planning for a financially secure future. This includes Latinos and other immigrant groups new to banking processes in the United States.

For the last three years, CTCU has been partnering with Northern California Urban Development (NCUD) to open a branch of their credit union in East Palo Alto. Lead by Pastor John Liotti, NCUD is a non-profit, faith-based organization whose mission is to eliminate systemic and generational poverty in Northern California’s urban communities by creating opportunities and providing services and education. NCUD serves EPA and adjacent eastern Menlo Park focusing efforts on economic development projects.

Pastor Liotti and NCUD board members Pastor Paul Bains and Keisha Woods worked with the East Palo Alto Fellowship of Faith, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, as well as many other community-based organizations and City government, to bring CTCU to the area. Together they enlisted the cooperation of Addison Avenue Federal, Patelco, and Stanford Federal credit unions to help bring the project to life. They chose CTCU for a branch in EPA because of its record of integrity and willingness to work with diverse populations to build their economic skills. The support of the collaborating credit unions and EPA’s community leaders is a continuing partnership which has now brought quality, low-cost financial services to the community that has been underserved by the financial mainstream for generations.

What are the requirements for membership? You just need to either live, work, or worship in the East Palo Alto, east Menlo Park, or surrounding areas. All that it takes to become a member is a minimum of $25 to open savings account and that’s it! As a member, you then have access to all the services and products for which you qualify – a variety of savings accounts, personal and secured loans, checking accounts, debit cards, ATM, money orders, and check cashing to mention just a few. Your savings are federally insured up to $100,000 by the National Credit Union Administration which oversees the safety and soundness of credit unions in the United States.

Stop by to meet the staff and see what the benefits of membership can mean to you!

Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto
is located at:

1836 Bay Road, Suite B - East Palo Alto
(650) 838-9141
The hours are Wednesday through Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm
And Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm

Check out the CTCU website.

YWAMers Praised for Faith and Leadership

The Denver Post reports on the memorial service at the Denver YWAM base: "We're going to celebrate a life, we're not accentuating a death," said Faith Bible Chapel pastor George Morrison, in opening a memorial service today for two people killed at a missionary training school in Arvada . The service is called "A Celebration of Life for Tiffany and Philip." Philip Crouse and Tiffany Johnson died Sunday when a gunman opened fire at the school's dormitory. Youth With a Mission director Peter Warren said today both Crouse and Johnson embodied the spirit of the group. First the service focused on Crouse . "Phil gave his life to Jesus Christ and was never the same again," said Zach, a friend of Johnson's who met him years ago at a youth ministry in Alaska. At the time, Crouse was tough and wouldn't let people get close to him. "Over the years, Phil became a humble, teachable, sweet guy" who was able to reach kids with rough e...

Non Profit Payday Loans?

Here's a recent New York Times article sent to me from Katie at NCHM on payday lending. I know that the NCUD / CTCU-EPA partnership is going to have to create the right program addressing the needs for short term lending for low income families. We don't have the answers yet, but it's definitely on our radar. APPLETON, Wis. — This city of 70,000 has five McDonald’s franchises, three Pizza Huts, four Starbucks shops — and 19 payday loan stores, brightly lighted storefronts with names like EZ Money and Check Into Cash that offer two-week loans without credit checks. Peggy Truckey, 53, knows the allure. Last year she owed nearly $1,300 to four of those stores, and was paying about $600 a month in finance fees alone. “I thought I was going to have to take a second job just to pay off the interest,” Ms. Truckey said. Then she heard about a new nonprofit program operated out of a Goodwill thrift store, one of several hundred lower-cost payday loan products that are now bein...

Samuel Liotti TV Interview about Obama's Nomination

Check this out this link! Samuel, his best friend Malik and other students at East Palo Alto Academy were interviewed on TV where they were asked about their views on Obama. The students has some interesting and revealing comments. With all the politics, it may be easy for some to overlook the significance and importance of the first truly viable African-American candidate for president. Obama's nomination to especially many young people in our community speaks volumes about who they are and what they can become. This is an exciting and important time in our history. Please join me in praying for both our candidates, but especially Obama. I've felt impressed that I should pray specifically for his safety during the next months. Follow the link and check out the interview! What about you? How significant do you feel is Obama's nomination?

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