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Gesa Credit Union and Columbia Basin College launch community partnership to raise funds to support student success

Gesa kicks off partnership with $10,000 donation to support students

RICHLAND, WA (February 22, 2021)

Gesa Credit Union and Columbia Basin College (CBC) today announced the creation of the first CBC co-branded affinity debit card from Gesa Credit Union. The new card is designed to raise unrestricted funds for the Columbia Basin College Foundation to allocate toward its Emergency Fund, which is used by students for books, supplies, rent, and tuition.

Each time a cardholder swipes their CBC co-branded Gesa VISA® Debit Card, a donation is made to help cover one-time expenses that may prevent a CBC student from continuing their education or being successful. To kick off the partnership, Gesa Credit Union has already donated $10,000 to help support CBC students.

“We are extremely proud to extend our partnership with Columbia Basin College by providing this program for students, staff, alumni and any member of the community who wants to support students’ success at CBC,” said President and CEO of Gesa Credit Union, Don Miller. “With the addition of this card, our members can help support students to obtain the necessary funds, financial literacy and personal money management skills needed to benefit a lifetime.”

The co-branded debit cards are free to Gesa members with a checking account. Community members wishing to obtain a CBC Gesa VISA® debit card can visit one of Gesa’s branches and have a new card instantly printed or receive one by mail. This is the first collegiate co-branded card for Gesa Credit Union – adding to several high school partnerships spanning across Washington State. To date, this program has raised more than $500,000 for students. “We are excited about this new partnership with Gesa Credit Union. So many of us use debit cards as a part of our regular business throughout the day, but now a portion of those proceeds will be going to support our students without us having to do anything different. It’s also a great opportunity to open up lots of conversations, as these transactions happen, where we can talk about our college and the many lives we change” said CBC President Dr. Rebekah Woods.

To learn more about Gesa Credit Union and the Co-Branded Affinity Debit Card Program, visit www.gesa.com.


About Gesa Credit Union

 is one of Washington’s largest credit unions with over $5.5 billion in assets and is 285,000 members strong. Gesa is a full-service financial institution that offers a complete array of consumer, mortgage, and business products and services. Headquartered in Richland, Washington, Gesa operates 28 branches, including three loan centers, two full-service student-operated campus branches at Washington State University, and 12 student-operated high school branches across Washington state. The Gesa Community Foundation, established in 2022, further supports Gesa’s ongoing commitment to local communities and charitable giving, which includes support for schools, Local Heroes groups and community organizations through its Affinity Debit Card Program, as well as through its annual youth scholarships, and free financial and educational resources available to members and the general public. For more information, visit gesa.com

Contacts

Xiamara Garza
Curator PR for Gesa Credit Union
928-259-4375
PR@Gesa.com

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