Today’s not an anniversary you really want to celebrate
by. Ron Daly
Torrential rain. Winds up to 115 mph. An estimated $68 billion in damages. Portions of the eastern seaboard still reeling.
It’s hard to believe a year has already come and gone since Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey. It’s not an anniversary you really want to celebrate but it’s an important one to mark. It’s a prime example of how credit unions are supposed to be rooted in their communities and how, as a community unto itself, credit unions reach out and help one another.
CUs help members
In the aftermath of the storm, stories came pouring in from New Jersey– and New York-area credit unions re-opening and powering through to help members. Some offered overdraft forgiveness, some offered low-rate loans for repairs; a brave and thoughtful few opened up their branches to those displaced by the storm, giving them a warm place to rest, recharge their portable electronics and get their finances in order for the displacement and for the recovery.
If there’s a better example of “the credit union difference” than these community-based institutions offering the kindness and care that members need in a time of crisis, what might it be? Because this is the clearest indication to me of what makes credit unions special — a degree of true empathy. It’s an empathy that applies to more than money; it applies to the human condition.
CUs help one another
In the wake of the destruction came the cleanup effort. Some issues were tackled quickly and with the kind of focus and calm needed to keep operations on the rails. Some issues have taken quite a long time to address, and some still go unresolved.
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