Press
Family First FCU holds annual meeting, donates to local charities, and announces Board changes
(May 4, 2015) — Family First Federal Credit Union put a twist on their recent Annual Membership Meeting by using a popular cash wheel game as way to contribute to four local organizations.
Ticket stubs were drawn throughout the evening event, giving members a chance to spin and earn from $10 to $200 for the Boys & Girls Club of Cascade County, Great Falls Public Library Foundation, My Neighbor In Need, or the Humane Society of Cascade County.
“When a member was chosen to spin the cash wheel, they also got to select which of the four charities would receive a matching donation from the credit union,” Manager Kathy Briggs said.
The decision to support fellow not-for-profits was made by the credit union’s volunteer board of directors, and Briggs said the game was so popular that it’s likely to be repeated in coming years.
The event also marked the end of (or more likely a pause in) 28 years of continual volunteering for Board Member Karen Service.
Service has found Family First a good place to volunteer. “I’ve learned so much and gotten to work with wonderful people,” she said.
In nearly three decades much has changed for the credit union, which has 2,100 members and $12.6 million in assets. Service said she is proud of how the credit union has grown.
“We were just one little office in the hospital, and now we have a new building and we’ve maintained Kathy as our manager,” she said. “It’s small, but a good credit union and it’s been nice to see integrity kept.”
Service may be gone for the next coming years, but she remains confident in the leadership and the philosophy at the credit union.
“Credit unions really work with people, not just a bank account,” she said. “You really truly own the credit union and can be part of that and the decision making. Members get one-on-one service, and a lot of businesses could benefit from living by the cooperative principles. We are very mindful of balancing people’s needs without only worrying about making money.”
Manager Kathy Briggs said she will miss Service, but understands her desire to spend as much time with her daughter as possible. Briggs is comforted by the prospect of Service’s return once her daughter finishes high school and goes off to college.
In other credit union news, Tom Hering was elected to a three-year term as the new director replacing Service, and Art Alt was also re-elected to a three year term on the Family First’s board. Katheryn Palmer was recently hired as a new loan officer. Palmer moved to the area from Havre where she spent 14 years working in financial institutions. For seven years she served on the Havre Chamber of Commerce Board, including as president.
Photo caption: Family First FCU Board President Corinne Cole, retiring board member Karen Service, and Kathy Briggs, manager of the credit union.