Study and service in Puerto Rico: “Launching Project Stormbreak”
One of the endearing things about being part of the global credit union system is that when bad things happen, it is always local credit unions that first step in with relief on the ground. It is soon followed by contributions of resources and volunteer efforts from credit unions everywhere to help rebuild and reposition the affected credit unions.
It is with that spirit Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions will return to Puerto Rico August 1-6, after the World Credit Union Conference (WCUC) July 28-31 in The Bahamas. During WCUC, the Worldwide Foundation will launch “Project Stormbreak”—the establishment of a forward-prepared fund to respond immediately when a natural disaster happens.
Puerto Rico participants, including our co-hosts, the Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN), will be exchanging best practices and lessons learned in credit union response and resilience to natural disasters. They’ll also learn how the credit union system in Puerto Rico provided post-disaster solutions in response to 2017’s Hurricane Maria. Our colleagues from Texas, Florida, North Carolina and California will share their own experiences related to disaster recovery.
Our participants will arrive on Thursday, August 1 and learn about the history and economic relationship of Puerto Rico and the United States mainland. Beyond the classroom, there will be visits to credit unions in the field to observe how they respond to their communities. The field visits also will include an opportunity to study local credit union community service programs.
Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. credit union system. We will hear from Puerto Rican credit unions and their partners about how they have found solutions for their communities from within the credit union system to obtain Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) status, working with INCLUSIV, and to acquire loan participations with mainland credit unions, working with World Council.
We ask credit union professionals interested in participating to pay their own airfare and hotel costs, and to pay their share of group costs—including translation, ground transportation, group lunches, dinners and cultural-history educational tours.
For more information, please contact Laura Mihm at lmihm@woccu.org
