A Case For Change
By. Kristen Christian , Bank Transfer Day
We’ve watched the cooperative movement grow in leaps and bounds over the past year and a half. Bank Transfer Day was a catalyst that would continue to spawn interest in and devotion to the cooperative movement that would spill into 2012, the year the United Nations deemed the International Year of the Cooperative. This designation wasn’t a culmination, but rather the foundation of a beginning. We must continue to be vigilant in our efforts toward innovation while remaining true to the cooperative principles designed by our predecessors to empower both individual members and their respective communities.
The cooperative movement is blessed to have so many leaders with a clear understanding of these principles. Speaking with Ed Mayo at the Cooperative Congress last year, I admired a pin he was wearing that said simply, “I’m co-operative.” He explained that to serve our communities to the fullest each of us must embody the cooperative principles. When we do, these necessary values are engrained into every decision we’re faced with. In true cooperative spirit, Ed removed the pin I admired from his lapel and placed it in my hand. Pondering back on that conversation, I cannot help but to realize the possibilities for American credit unions and the communities they serve if regulators embodied the values that drive credit unions.
Coops For Change is rallying a grassroots effort that I believe would be nothing but a benefit to the people helping people mission. The request is simple: soon-to-open seats on the NCUA board be filled by individuals with a proven understanding of these principles. If you agree, I would ask each of you to please take a moment to sign the petition and share it through your social media channels. The kind of change we need is possible if we do what we do best—band together to defend our nation’s future.
