Giving, gratitude, and joy are in abundance this time of year. We would like to pay homage to this special time by sharing a bit of our story – from our humble beginnings to our commitment to service and giving back. “People Helping People” is the credit union philosophy that our guiding principles are built on. We not only believe in the greater good and the meaningful impact of “People Helping People”, we live it every day.
Humility and Gratitude
We believe there’s great power in understanding and practicing humility and gratitude. Humility is the appreciation that we gain as a result of overcoming challenges, and it extends our compassion and empathy toward others. With gratitude, we share our appreciation by helping and returning kindness to others.
Humble Beginnings
Our humble beginnings began more than sixty years ago when our founding members, employees of Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS), formalized the credit union for the teachers of GCPS. Originally founded as Gwinnett Teachers Credit Union, our operations started out of a cardboard box in the back of a station wagon and eventually we relocated to a closet inside a local school.
Over the years, our number of members increased and the credit union continued to grow, opening branches in more local communities. Today, Peach State proudly serves over 85,000 members with twenty-six branches throughout Georgia and South Carolina.
Manifesting Gratitude: The Power of Giving Back
Thankful for our humble beginnings and for the trust that our members place in us, we’ve demonstrated our gratitude through our commitment to strengthening our local communities. Our passion for helping members and the community led us to create the Peach State FCU C.A.R.E.S. Foundation.
From fighting food insecurity through year-round initiatives that benefit food banks, to supporting school systems and the arts, and contributing to nonprofit organizations, being there for our members and communities is what guides us on a daily basis. It’s how we put the concept of “People Helping People” into practice.
We honor the roots of our foundation by maintaining a focus on education through our Scholarship Program. Since 2002, we have contributed more than $2.5 million in educational grants and scholarships for high school students and adults pursuing post-secondary education.
People Helping People
As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, it’s our responsibility to serve our members and our community – not maximize profits – which ensures that our focus remains on helping people.
Serving our members and supporting our local communities by providing affordable financial products and services, smart savings habits, and sound credit use while advocating financial education to help enrich the lives our members are additional ways we demonstrate our dedication to the “People Helping People” philosophy.
Our members also have the opportunity to help their local communities through our Peach State FCU C.A.R.E.S. Visa Debit Card program. Every time a member uses their Peach State Visa Debit Card to make a purchase instead of cash or another debit or credit card, we donate a nickel to the Peach State FCU C.A.R.E.S. Foundation.1 The C.A.R.E.S. Foundation supports non-profits, schools, and the arts in the communities we serve. Together we can make a difference, right in your local community! Show you care with the Debit Card that CARES.
1 $0.05 per transaction of Peach State Federal Credit Union’s merchant interchange income from our Visa Debit Card program is used to benefit the communities we serve. Peach State will determine where/how funds are disbursed. This does not affect members’ accounts, nor will any member information be disclosed. You will not incur any additional fees or charges from this program. Merchant interchange income is derived from fees that a merchant pays to accept credit/debit card payments. The C.A.R.E.S. program may or may not apply to ATM transactions, certain commercial transactions, or other transactions not processed by Visa.
