TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates (LSCU & Affiliates) and the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation (SECUF) have awarded two students with scholarships to attend college and expand their financial education.
Henderson Rosser and Terrell Jones were each awarded a $10,000 scholarship this year that will renew every year for a total of $40,000 per student. This is all part of the new Community Spark initiative to ignite collaboration among credit unions in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, the League of Southeastern CUs said.
“Credit unions have always been about ‘people helping people’ and our foundation embodies that philosophy,” said Bobbi Grady, the director of SECUF. “This program is one of the credit union movement’s best examples of collaboration for the benefit of our members and communities, and it all proves we are stronger together.”
According to the association, the Community Spark scholarships provide financial assistance to underserved and first-generation college students who are attending college in Alabama or Georgia. For this year, both students are attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The program establishes credit union summer internships for the scholarship recipients and utilizes the integration of students and credit unions as a conduit to expand financial education to the students, the students’ families, and beyond, the league said.
“We are excited to invest in the next generation, further the financial education of students in our three states, and equip them with the resources they need to be successful,” said Samantha Beeler, the President of LSCU & Affiliates. “The Community Spark initiative is all about our communities and credit unions working together to make a measurable impact, lessening financial needs, and enhancing our society, economy, and environment.”
LSCU and SECUF said they created the Community Spark program to identify and address overlying development issues within each state. The Florida Community Spark project, “Removing Barriers to Employment,” will see the SECUF partner with credit unions across Florida to launch a Credit Union Specialist program that will train and educate participants previously unqualified for entry-level careers in the financial services sector. Through boot camp style training, internships, and employer demand for full-time hires, this program will transform the lives of individuals seeking a stable career and prove a return on investment for employer partners, the organizations said.
Rosser is attending Tuskegee University in Alabama and Jones is attending Morehouse College in Georgia.