HOUSTON, TX (March 16, 2021) — People’s Trust Federal Credit Union donated a surplus of 14 HP Chromebook devices to Change Happens, a local nonprofit that addresses the needs of underserved populations in the Greater Houston area. The 14 laptops were hand-delivered to Change Happens on Thursday, March 11, 2021 by People’s Trust Federal Credit Union’s Vice President of Marketing/CMO, Patrick Flynn, and Community Outreach Specialist, Shelly Chinnery. Six non-profits vied for the donations in December when People’s Trust issued a donation proposal request to its community partners.
The HP Chromebooks were initially purchased by the credit union at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow employees who did not already have a work laptop to work remotely until a more permanent remote working technology solution could be deployed. Once employees were issued permanent devices, People’s Trust looked to its community partners to unload the extra Chromebooks that otherwise would have gone unused.
“We value the worthy causes of all of our community partners”, states People’s Trust Community Outreach Specialist, Shelly Chinnery. She continues, “the nonprofits that were considered for the donations were handpicked by us. We wanted organizations we knew provided tech-enabled learning resources to the community. The final decision was a hard one to make, but we ultimately chose the organization we felt could best use the devices during this critical time of need.”
As a nonprofit that exist to empower families and individuals to empower themselves, Change Happens plans to utilize the Chromebook donations for their youth computer lab, community computer room, and their adult service staff to conduct virtual trainings, job fairs, and other virtual activities. “We are honored to be selected and awarded the Chromebooks by People’s Trust Federal Credit Union,” says Trinell Davis, Volunteer Coordinator & Case Manager for Change Happens. “This generous donation will help Change Happens expand technology resources and assist with the disparity in access to digital technologies, particularly in underserved communities such as those we serve. Thank you (People’s Trust) for assisting Change Happens with providing valuable services in the community.”
People’s Trust is proud to be able to make an impact on one of their community partners with this donation. Community partnerships play a central role in their Community Outreach Program, which involves People’s Trust partnering with local nonprofits to offer free financial education seminars, activities, and volunteer assistance. Change Happens has been a valued community partner for over four years. Chinnery states, “We’re happy to have donated the Chromebooks to Change Happens, one of our long-standing community partners. We hope this in-kind donation will further assist them in closing the digital divide and providing the tools necessary to meet their community needs.”
People’s Trust, formerly named Shell Employees Federal Credit Union, is a full-service financial co-op. Since 1935, People’s Trust has returned profits to members in the form of higher dividends on savings, lower loan rates and reduced fees. Though based in Houston, People’s Trust serves members across the world. For more information, please visit www.peoplestrustfcu.org.
Patrick Flynn
AVP of Marketing
People’s Trust Federal Credit Union
413 Bastrop St.
Houston, TX 77003
713.428.3281
pflynn@unbanking.org
Shelly Chinnery, CUDE, CCUFC
Community Outreach Specialist
Foundation Executive Director
People’s Trust Federal Credit Union
413 Bastrop St.
Houston, TX 77003
713.428.3255
schinnery@unbanking.org
