Tuesday, November 7th

8:00 – 8:30 am – Arrival at the WOW Club and Networking with coffee.

8:30 – 9:15 am – Health: “The Connection Between Financial Well-Being and Health”

Evidence shows that increased financial security is linked to improved health outcomes and improved quality of life. As credit unions, we are uniquely positioned to lean into our “people helping people” principle to support members experiencing healthcare-related financial challenges. In our session, Tobi Weingart, CUDE, CUHRCP, Program Director for the National Credit Union Foundation will discuss the current landscape of healthcare affordability, explore examples of credit unions solving for the development issue of health, and dive into how the superpower of empathy can be leveraged to support financial well-being for all.

9:15 – 9:45 – Inclusion: “Empathy Takes Life Lessons”

Hear from Mike Hudson, the Founder and Lead Director of Rediscovering Outdoor Activities and Recreation, better known as “ROAR”. Mike was injured in a diving accident in June of 1995 and is technically a C6-C7 quadriplegic. However, his time as a Marine and Law Enforcement Officer laid the groundwork for his desire to never accept limitations placed on him by others. Mike is the embodiment of the Marine motto, “improvise, adapt, and overcome” with a passion for advocating for inclusion.

Short Break 

10:00 – 11:30 am – Savings and Credit: “Serving the Underserved”

Credit unions serve as the change agents in their communities, thinking outside the box and continuing to innovate through collaboration and product development. Hear from three Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) on their approaches to meet the needs of the underserved in their communities. Speakers LaTasha G. Cooper, Vice President of Lending, SPC Credit Union; Kerri J. Smith, South Carolina President, Self-Help Credit Union; and Scott Weaver, President/CEO, Carolina Foothills FCU, will cover topics including payday lending alternatives, minority business lending, first-time homebuyer programs and community partner collaboration.

Break & pick up box lunch

12:00 – 12:45 pm Hunger: “Poverty has ripple effects”

In our communities, the effects of poverty are seen in health issues, lack of education, few work opportunities, broken families, crime, addiction, abuse…the list goes on. Hear from Suzanne Jackson, Executive Director, Area Churches Together Serving (ACTS) of Aiken County, and Tammy Butler, Executive Director, Community Ministry of North Augusta on food insecurity challenges and how they are fighting poverty and strengthening families through their holistic and compassionate approach.

Extended break for networking and email catch-up

1:30 – 3:00 – Retirement Experience

The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation and the Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation are collaborating to bring the Retirement Experience experiential learning program to the Carolinas. Designed in partnership with BALANCE and the Cornerstone Foundation, the Retirement Experience can be custom branded for individual credit unions wishing to take this back to their communities.

Join Courtney Moran, Executive Director of the Cornerstone Credit Union Foundation as she takes you on a journey to help you think about what kind of retirement you want to have and start building the blocks to get there. The Retirement Experience will help you prepare and feel more comfortable about planning for your retirement. Using common scenarios for those in different stages of life (20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s), you’ll explore the financial situation of a fictional (but very real) person or couple, dive into an empathy map on that scenario, and as a group, find ways to help your “person” get to a more comfortable retirement. Then, you can apply what you have discovered to your own situation.

Short Break 

3:15 – 4:45 – Education: “Making an Impact with Interchange”

As cooperative financial institutions, credit unions act in the best interests of their members and communities, including the pursuit of education. Hear from two credit unions on their unique approaches in diverting interchange income for the benefit of advancing our education system.

The SRP High School Affinity Debit Card program was designed to provide local high schools with an additional non-discretionary fundraising tool. Since the program’s inception in August 2018, SRP has donated more than $1.4M to high schools in their field of membership. Hear from three SRP employees (Grace Helms, AVP Community Development, Josh Rhoden, Marketing Manager, and Andy Starcher, AVP Deposit Operations) on how to kickstart the program, maintain it and manage its success.

Interchange Income is just one of several sources of funding for the Georgia United Foundation’s award-winning School Crashers program. Hear from Kim Wall, Director of Community Development for Georgia United Credit Union & the Georgia United Foundation on working with underserved schools, donors, vendors, and volunteers across the state to improve the learning environment for students and faculty. Be prepared for a crash course on social responsibility and cooperative collaboration as GUCF shares how this program has positively transformed 70 schools and provided over $2 million in campus and classroom improvements over the last 10 years.

5:30 – 6:30 – Sponsored Networking Reception at Jackson’s Bluff rooftop bar at the Crowne Plaza
Dinner on your own.