LANSING, Mich.–As part of what it called an “ambitious bid” to foster financial literacy, financial health and wellbeing and economic empowerment here, Astera Credit Union said it is joining with The Fledge, a “radically inclusive ideation and maker space” that has a history of empowering communities through financial education.
The $205-million Astera CU said the two organizations have a “shared vision of community enrichment and empowerment” and will be working collaboratively collaborative fight against poverty through three pivotal programs that are set to launch. Those programs include:
- Financial Literacy Program. “Primarily targeting individuals under the ALICE threshold, this program aspires to enhance understanding of personal and business finances, equipping individuals with the tools to manage their resources more efficiently.”
- LifeCents Financial Wellness App (Fledge cohort). “This web-based, smartphone friendly initiative leverages gamification to facilitate personal finance self-learning. Providing educational modules which cover a broad spectrum of real-life financial topics, LifeCents teaches and encourages individuals to take firm steps towards securing a robust and independent financial future.”
- Dream Big - Micro Business Loan Program for Fledglings. “Designed for startup founders collaborating with The Fledge, this program not only prepares them for securing a loan but instills a disciplined approach towards financial management, channeling the funds towards avenues that promise substantial revenue growth,” the credit union said.
Launch Event Today
To mark the beginning of this partnership, Astera CU said a presentation of a $10,000 will be made today by SVP Laura Blanding to further The Fledge’s prosperity initiatives.
A formal launch for the partnership will be held on Oct. 4th, 2023, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Fledge.
A Shift in Mission
“Over the past several years Astera has shifted more and more of our mission to focus on financially empowering our members and our communities, said Astera President and CEO Martin Carter. “Credit Unions were founded with the purpose of “people helping people,” and that is still core to our values. There is nothing more important than being able to help people achieve financial independence. As part of that work, we’re committed to providing our underserved communities with equitable access to financial products and services, education, and literacy.”
Are You Being Gouged for Bank-Like Subscription Fees for Old News? Here’s a CU-Like Way to Fix That
The biggest, best and freshest news reporting in credit unions remains free! Each morning CUToday.info delivers its daily Fresh Today news update offering the latest headlines and breaking news right to your email, with the easy-to-read headlines format allowing you to click on the stories that interest you most in order to learn more. So stop paying those bank-fee-like subscription prices from other so-called “news”” publications!
If you haven’t yet signed up for the new email solution on which CUToday.info has partnered with ResponseGenius, you can do so here. Signing up requires less than one minute of your time—and it’s free!
Please note that after signing up you may need to go to your Spam/Junk folder and mark the morning headlines email as safe. CUToday.info does not provide its list of readers and emails to outside parties, and we will not be contacting you to sell you an extended warranty or sending you any links so you may cash in on an inheritance you didn’t know was coming.
And did we mention it’s free?