SCE FCU Spends Holiday Giving Back

On Feb. 17 when many others were enjoying a three-day weekend, courtesy of the Presidents Day holiday, SCE Credit Union used its day off to give back to the community and took part in a real-life simulation to help their team understand what it might be like to live on the brink of poverty.

Nearly 200 team members from the Irwindale, CA-based credit union, with branches in Southern California and Southern Nevada, helped Olive Crest, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the cycle of child abuse, by putting together 200 packages of personal care items (such as toothbrushes and shampoo). They also presented a donation of $5,000 to the organization. With the help of this donation, 30 young adults who enter the program will have the basics they need in their new home, such as towels, sheets, clothing, dishes, and more, so they can start their new adult life on the right foot.

“We chose to partner with Olive Crest and its Operation Independence/Los Angeles program because we felt it aligned well with SCE FCU’s goal of supporting financial independence for those in need in our community,” said SCE FCU President and CEO Dan Rader. Unfortunately, once children in the foster system turn 18, they are left on their own. Without programs like these, at-risk youth struggle with high rates of unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration. The Operation Independence program provides resources for young adults to avoid these issues.”

That same day, SCE FCU team members participated in Life Simulation, an interactive program that simulated the day-to-day choices a typical low-income family must make while trying to survive and provide for their families. During the three-hour experience, participants assume the roles of families who may be unemployed, homeless, or senior citizens (living on disability, raising grandchildren, and struggling to make ends meet).

The Life Simulation is a kit SCE FCU purchased from the National Credit Union Foundation. It is designed to help credit union employees, volunteers, and leadership “walk in another’s shoes” to learn about the needs of immigrants and other low wage working families. As a Community Development Financial Institution and Low-Income Designation credit union, SCE FCU is focused on providing fairly priced financial services to help individuals and families, including those in low-income communities to achieve financial stability.

The credit union first held the simulation for the entire management team in December. At the Feb. 17 event, the management team played the roles of the simulated “community resources”, such as the financial institution, full- and part-time employers, utility company, payday lender, pawn shop, social services, homeless shelter, and others.

“At the end of the exercise, participants are more aware of the daily realities and hardships that many American families face,” Rader said. “We knew the Life Simulation activity would help our team members gain a different perspective on the low-income families we have committed to serve.”