since 1935 | #justbeyourself

Volume 6 | Issue 10 | October 2023
Our Mission: Providing financial solutions for every stage of life.

Dear Valued Member,

About nine months from now, Community First Credit Union will have something it hasn’t had in almost 30 years — a new president and chief executive officer. As some of you may already know, I have announced that I’ll be retiring in 2024 and passing the leadership of our credit union to a new CEO selected by our board of directors.

Meanwhile, it will be business as usual for me from now until the new CEO comes on board. But as we prepare for this transition, I want to assure you that the close community ties and people-focused service that define our credit union will not change. I say that with confidence because our board will conduct a rigorous nationwide search to find a candidate who is a strong fit for our culture and brings the same commitment to serving our members and community. In addition, I’ve developed a strong team of experienced senior leaders who will ensure Community First Credit Union continues to pursue its purpose of helping our members, employees and community live their best lives.

Although we formally adopted our Purpose statement last year, it really was the culmination of a journey we have been on throughout my tenure. When I arrived in 1996, we were still known as Educational Community Credit Union, reflecting our history as a credit union formed in 1935 to serve Duval County teachers.

Since then, we have grown consistently both in membership and deposits, as we have expanded services and opened new branches. Throughout our period of growth, we have always recognized that the best way to serve our communities is to know the people who live in them — their preferences, their challenges and their dreams.

Our engagement with communities goes even beyond the service we provide when members visit our branches or call for information. It extends into the neighborhoods we serve and the people who live there.

Day of Purpose

This commitment to hands-on community engagement continues to grow at our credit union, and it will be more prominent than ever during our upcoming Day of Purpose on Oct. 9, which is Columbus Day. Our credit union was open on Columbus Day in years past, but this year we’re going to close our offices and bring our 400-plus employees together for a special Day of Purpose.

After a morning of discussions centered around our Purpose and how we’re weaving it into the fabric of everything we do, our employees are going to fan out across the region to participate in 22 community service opportunities in Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties. It has been a huge undertaking to arrange these events, and I can’t say enough about the dedication of our team that brought it all together.

Our employees will be volunteering at community organizations serving the underprivileged, the elderly, teachers, trauma victims, the disabled, abandoned animals and families with seriously ill children. They’ll be sorting and packing donated food and clothing, sprucing up facilities, washing vehicles, cooking meals, removing litter, decorating for Halloween, engaging with children and the elderly, and walking dogs.

You’ll see us at Ronald McDonald House, the City Rescue Mission, Feeding Northeast Florida, Sulzbacher Village, the Children’s Home Society of Greater Northeast Florida, the Jacksonville Human Society and even the Jacksonville Zoo, to name just of a few of the organizations where we’ll be volunteering.

I couldn’t be more excited about our Day of Purpose and the strong ties it will create between our employees and the communities we serve. We live in a city and region where people care about each other and volunteer in countless ways to improve the quality of life for all of us. You might not see it in the daily headlines, but it’s always visible on the front lines, where people engage with each other, person to person.

Just as I have been honored to help build Community First into one of Florida’s largest and most highly regarded credit unions, all of us at Community First feel privileged to have a role in serving our members and the entire community. We thank you for choosing us to meet your financial service needs. ■