For 85 years, Quincy Credit Union has been deeply involved in the communities we serve. Our mission has always been to provide our members with outstanding personal service to satisfy their financial needs.
Yet, we don’t stop there. “We reach beyond”, says CEO/President John Miller. “Improving the lives of our members and communities is at the heart of what we do as a credit union.”
In this inaugural Community Report, we have highlighted some of our 2022 efforts in the communities we serve (Quincy, Braintree, Weymouth, and Plymouth and Norfolk counties):
Encouraging financial literacy
Supporting health and wellness programs
Fighting homelessness and hunger
Investing in our youth
Celebrating community through engagement
Encouraging Financial Literacy
We strive to make financial education relevant and easily accessible to adults and youth in our community. Financial literacy is an essential life skill that determines success in every facet of life, from health and relationships to personal and professional accomplishments.
To encourage financial literacy in our communities in 2022, we held seminars, delivered outreach programs to schools, and provided free access to online financial education modules.
Seminars
We offered a range of free seminars to our members and residents in the communities we serve on topics such as cyber security, Social Security, and our very first First Time Home Buyer seminar to introduce members to the home-buying process. We also collaborated with Quincy Investment Services to host seminars on estate planning, income strategies during retirement, an introduction to individual retirement accounts, and securing Social Security.
Educational Programs in Schools
Students and staff in area schools have participated in QCU-sponsored financial literacy programming:
400 students at Braintree High School learned budgeting and money management skills through Credit for Life, a nationally recognized financial literacy program.
Over 40 Quincy High School students participated in “Teens and Money”, a three-day interactive program presented by the QCU Community Outreach Ambassador. This program prepares seniors to handle financial independence when they graduate high school.
Our Community Outreach Ambassador and Vice President of Retail met with 20 new Kenyan teachers at the Boston Higashi School in Randolph to provide a primer on how personal banking works in the United States.
Online Financial Education
QCU offers free access to 33 hours of informative modules through our website’s Financial Education Center. Powered by content-provider EVERFI, these sessions cover dozens of financial topics such as budgeting, saving for college, car loans, and investing. In 2022, more than 350 visitors to the website increased their financial literacy by viewing these sessions. EVERFI also provides us with analytics to illuminate the topics that are viewed the most, helping us tailor our financial education and products to best meet viewers’ needs.
Supporting Health and Wellness Programs
To help during life’s challenges, QCU has partnered with area organizations and schools to provide financial support for initiatives that promote health and wellness, build community connections, inspire learning, and deliver care to those in need.
QCU partnered with Manet Community Health Center to support its mission of providing healthcare to low-income individuals and families.
Additional health and wellness initiatives included:
Teen suicide prevention services
Increased awareness of veteran’s health
Lightened the financial burden of parents of children with cancer
Raised funds to fight against ALS
Brought together seniors in Weymouth for a picnic for the first time since COVID.
Supported local youth athletics and fitness programs
Local organizations we supported:
American Cancer Society
Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Braintree Special Needs Recreation Program
Cops for Kids with Cancer
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Recovered Souls Foundations
South Shore Health Foundation
Fighting Homelessness and Hunger
Did you know that Massachusetts is the third-least-affordable state in the US* and that one in three adults in Massachusetts are food insecure? **
QCU is committed to doing its part in helping people who are struggling with housing and food insecurity by partnering with and supporting local organizations that provide these important services to individuals in need.
South Shore Habitat for Humanity
QCU proudly supports the South Shore Habitat for Humanity’s work in building affordable homes, revitalizing neighborhoods, and profoundly changing families’ lives.
Food Drives In the spring, QCU employees held a food drive for Interfaith Social Services in Quincy and the Weymouth Food Pantry. Together, they donated 447 pounds of food–translating into 530 meals for families in need across our service area.
Financial Support QCU provided financial support to the Weymouth Food Pantry’s Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser to multiply the impact of their fundraising efforts. At the start of the holiday season, QCU also provided funding to four food pantries in our service area to help feed the food insecure during the holiday season.
In July, QCU’s Community Outreach Ambassador joined forces with The South Shore Chamber of Commerce to prepare meals at an End Hunger New England food distribution event.
Investing in our Youth
QCU supported a variety of local education, sports, and arts programs to help provide growth opportunities, happiness, and well-being to children and teens.
Supporting Local Schools At the beginning of the school year, QCU partnered with Clifford Marshall Elementary School, a Quincy school whose students mainly come from low-income households, to provide 500 backpacks filled with school supplies. We also sponsored a welcome breakfast for new teachers during Quincy Public Schools’ orientation and lunch at Braintree Public Schools’ teachers’ orientation.
Credit for Life
In March, Quincy Credit Union sponsored and attended Braintree High School’s Credit for Life fair. Credit for Life is a yearly event that teaches high school students the importance of financial education regarding taxes, employment, as well as gives them the real-world exposure to common expenses like, housing, education, and unexpected everyday costs of living.
D.A.R.E. QCU helped fund the Quincy Police Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program’s two-week summer program on the importance of making safe and responsible decisions and resisting peer pressure to get involved with drugs and alcohol.150 fifth grade students and 20 high school students participated in the program’s fun-filled educational and recreational activities.
Invigorating Social Activities Now that children and teens are back to in-person learning and activities, QCU felt it was important to support local athletic teams, drama clubs, and social events that bring youth back together again:
Braintree American Little League
Braintree Youth Football & Cheer
North Quincy Senior Stay Out event
Quincy High School Drama Club
Quincy Youth Arena
Quincy Youth Baseball/Softball
Quincy Youth Football and Cheerleading
Weymouth Carl Ripken Baseball League
Weymouth Junior Basketball League
Weymouth Little League
Celebrating Community through Engagement
Throughout 2022, QCU had the honor of regularly participating in community events to support local organizations and to share how QCU can help adults and youth along their financial journeys.
To extend outreach to vibrant Asian communities in the areas we serve, QCU sponsored local events to raise funds for Asian-focused programs. Events included:
Quincy Asian Resources, Inc.’s Lunar New Year Festival and the August Moon Festival, a wonderful cultural event that celebrates the harvest and the moon as symbols of prosperity, happiness, and unity.
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center’s Family Fun Day, held in Quincy.
To help mark Weymouth’s 400th year, QCU participated in numerous celebrations, such as sponsoring Food Truck Fridays and Weymouth 400th’s Village Festival at Weymouth High School. We also participated in the Veterans Voice’s Third Annual Music Festival, Benefits, and Career Expo as well as Quincy Bay Race Association's Race Week where QCU’s Community Outreach Ambassador had the privilege of presenting awards in QCU’s name to talented junior sailors.
Providing Student Scholarships Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. Every year, QCU selects five students through a lottery system to receive $1,000 each to help with their college expenses. In 2022, 43 students applied for the scholarships.
Our Commitment to the Communities We Serve QCU proudly sponsored over $60,000 to local organizations in 2022 to help improve the lives of residents in the communities we serve.
Quincy Credit Union, 100 Quincy Avenue, Quincy, MA 02169, 617-479-5558
