BEAUMONT, Texas–Education First Federal Credit Union has distributed checks totaling more than $48,000 to 128 local schools in Southeast Texas.
The donations were made through its We’re Paying It Forward program. A luncheon was held at The Event Centre in downtown Beaumont/
The program was developed seven years ago to support local education while allowing Education First members to direct a portion of their own dollars back into the communities in which they live and work.
Through the We’re Paying It Forward program, when an Education First member takes out a loan, the credit union donates a portion of that loan back to the school of that member’s choice.
“Education First FCU was founded by teachers, so giving back to our schools and our students is in our DNA,” said President and CEO Kevin Conn. “The WPIF program is a great way for us to provide support to the schools in our field of membership. We look forward to continuing this for years to come.”
As the program grows in popularity yearly donations to area schools have more than tripled since the program’s inception from $13,000 in 2014 to $48,000 in 2021. To date, donations have totaled $240,000 in unrestricted funds to help supplement school budgets and allow local schools to direct the funds where they are needed most.