Jim went into his financial institution, where he had banked for over 10 years, to see if they could finance the purchase. They told him no. Because the boat was an older model, it wouldn’t have the collateral value they would need to lend on it.
Although he wasn’t a Self-Help member, Jim knew of the Self-Help branch in Sunnyside. He visited the branch, even though it was ten minutes before closing. “It was Friday,” he said. “I was a walk-in. This was a long shot.”
What Jim didn’t realize, though, is that Member Services Manager Maria Garcia, was on duty. Maria grew up in a credit union family. Her father, a longtime member of Self-Help (then Lower Valley Credit Union), had always told Maria, “Without the credit union, I wouldn’t have been able to do so many things. The credit union always had my back.”
When Maria showed up as a Self-Help employee years later, she took her father’s words to heart: always have the member’s back.
Maria agreed to stay late and work with Jim to get the financing for his boat. They were successful: Jim got financing for his purchase and he and his family attended the reunion.
So many of our members share positive stories of feeling a human connection in our branches – a sense of being “at home.” Jim says he’s glad he walked into the branch that day. We’re glad he did too.