NEW YORK–In a surprise but fitting turn at CO-OP’s THINK Conference here, credit unions were indeed given something to think about with a touching and heart-felt personal message about the work they do by one of the speakers.
Laszlo Bock, the well-known former Google executive vice president who wrote the book “Work Rules,” was born in Romania while it was still under the thumb of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. When Bock was two his parents were able to escape Romania and the family ended up in a refugee camp in Austria.
“My dad’s dream from the time he was a kid was to come to the United States,” Bock. “We got political asylum, but we had to buy plane tickets to get to the U.S. We had no money; my dad had a job, but it was not enough We got a loan from a non-profit for $5,000 and we came to New York City, where we stayed for three days and then went to California. It was because there was a non-profit that cared enough to take a bet on refugees. We’ve repaid them over time. That’s the kind of impact money has. Money is fungible. If people come in and say they what a loan, what they are really saying is want to change their lives. I hope and I pray you keep doing it.”
Today, Bock donates all sales of his book to charity, including those that help refugees.
The full story on Block's remarks to CUs can be found here.