Rodolfo Medina - President, Midwest Region; Veronica Casillas-Madrigal - President, California

Greetings to all our members and friends! On behalf of our staff, we’d like to extend our sincere well-wishes for 2023 and beyond. As we anticipate the coming year, we’re also looking back at the changes of 2022. We’re eager to continue serving our members and building lasting relationships with more communities: 

• We continue to expand branch access. In 2022, we remodeled branches in Wilmington, CA, and Chicago, IL, and started a remodel in Lamont, CA. We’re opening a new branch in Sacramento, CA, and relocating our Maywood, IL branch to Oak Park, IL. Our Modesto, CA branch will move to a nearby newly built facility with our first drive-thru in California, partially operated on solar power. 
• We successfully merged with Premier Community Credit Union, which has branches in Stockton, Lodi, and Manteca, CA. Once we complete our data conversion, all members will have access to these new locations.  
• We’ve heard your feedback about being more accessible and will be expanding our after-hours phone service. 

• In April 2022, we answered our members’ request to re-open the Grandview, WA branch. The re-opening allows for better support of our local members and provides an opportunity to grow our membership in the Lower Yakima Valley. 
• We’re staying true to our commitment to responsible financial services. On March 1, we eliminated fees for non-sufficient funds (bounced checks), which saves our members over $600,000 per year. 
• We continue to expand accessible home lending through features like 100% financing, flexible underwriting guidelines, and financial coaching.   
• We’re exploring additional changes that can strengthen our members and communities, such as how the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act can help us save our members energy and money through responsible loan products, while supporting our collective commitment to our environment. 
• As our nation moves beyond the pandemic phase of COVID, we celebrated our annual meeting in person for the first time since 2019. 

In 2023, we remain committed to creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all.  We will continue to provide responsible products and services and advocate for policies that help our members to both meet their essential needs and build wealth for the future. We are deeply grateful for your continued membership and support in this effort.  

Sincerely,  

Veronica Casillas-Madrigal - President, California  

Rodolfo Medina - President, Midwest Region

To reflect the significant role of Seaway Bank in the South Side’s development, we will continue branding our branches there as Seaway, a division of Self-Help Federal Credit Union in our three South Side locations.  Our branches in Archer Heights, Cicero, Crestwood, and Little Village will all operate under the Self-Help Federal Credit Union name. Additionally, our Maywood branch will relocate just a short drive to Oak Park in February under the name of Self-Help Federal Credit Union.

On December 1, Self-Help staff were honored to celebrate with longtime partners Nuestra Casa, an adult education center that serves immigrant women in the Lower Yakima Valley area, at a grand opening event in Sunnyside, Washington. Since 2003, Nuestra Casa has provided critical language classes and citizenship preparation services to immigrant women as they and their families transition to their new communities in the Lower Yakima Valley.

2023 Community Scholarships

Our mission is to create and protect ownership and economic opportunity for all. This includes championing the next generation of community leaders and entrepreneurs through our scholarship program. Each Self-Help branch is now accepting applications for $1000 scholarships. We encourage applications from any students pursuing higher education who are committed to bringing out the best in their communities. Submit your application online at self-helpfcu.org/scholarships. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023.

Tax Season Tips

Did you know you may be able to get your taxes done for free? This year, we want to recognize the tireless work of the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers who’ve helped to make professional tax preparation more accessible to everyone for over 50 years.  

VITA sites are located all over the county, staffed by volunteers who are trained by IRS staff, and provide free tax assistance to qualified individuals. Find out more about VITA and other free tax preparation services at https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers.