Investing in Our Community Since 1949

At gfcu, we are dedicated to investing in our community and improving quality of life across the region. This goes far beyond the normal reaches of “banking”. Our commitment to the co-operative mindset and the general credit union philosophy, which is entrenched in communities across the nation, guides us on our mission of being a strong community investment leader.

To us, community investment means scholarships for local students, grants for local organizations, donations and sponsorships for local events, and much more. Our current Community Investment Policy (CIP) ensures that we commit at least 10% of our earnings (before interest and taxes) to the program each year – making us a leader in community investment. In 2019, our CIP ensured that more than $60,000 went back to our community in the form of community investments.

This page shares some of the major highlights and stories from last year’s community investment efforts.

You can learn more about our community programs HERE at www.gfcu.com, and you can keep up-to-date on community initiatives by subscribing to our newsletter RIGHT HERE.

Organizations Supported in 2019

The YES Camp – 2 Youth Sponsorships
GF Farmers Market – Meal Coupon Program
GFI – Event Sponsorship
Border Bruins – Arena Sponsorship
Food Bank – Christmas Donation
Phoenix Foundation – Vital Signs Survey
Perley Elementary – Outdoor Classroom
Kettle River MTB Association – Trail Signage
GF Events Manager – Family Day Sponsorship
Boundary Metis Association – Fishing Derby
GFSS Girls Soccer – Provincials Tournament
Discover Grand Forks – Downtown Mural
And More

gfcu Scholarships & Education

Of all our community programs, supporting the youth has to be our favourite. We provide local students with a number of scholarship opportunities and are continually working to ensure that those opportunities reflect the needs of our youth. Accordingly, in 2019, we began supporting trade scholarships in tandem with scholarships based on academic merit, which traditionally were the only scholarships we supported. We also have partnerships with Selkirk College, the Credit Union Foundation of BC, the Phoenix Foundation, and SD51 to provide the most useful and empowering support we can to these young students. In 2019, more than $10,000 in scholarships were awarded to student members of gfcu.

Beyond scholarships, some of our staff members also teach Financial Literacy classes at the high school through our “Each One, Teach One” program. In the Fall of 2019, via the gfcu grant, we contributed to the construction of an outdoor classroom at Perley Elementary, which we are excited to see come to life in 2020.

Of all the community investments we make – investing in our youth is by far the most rewarding.

Staff Fundraiser - Angel Tree

Beyond our structured programs, staff members at gfcu are fundraising pros. The Angel Tree Bake Sale is one such example of their efforts to make our community a better place.

Every year, around the beginning of December, our staff put up a Christmas tree with a bunch of tags on it. These tags each represent a local child that needs a gift for Christmas—a child that might not otherwise receive anything.

Our members do a great job of taking some of these tags and bringing back wrapped gifts. However, our staff members are unwilling to let any tag go unfilled, which is what drives the spectacular bake sale they organize each year. Dozens of hours go into the baking and preparation of this event, which, in 2019, raised over $1,600 to provide gifts to over 80 local children.

This is an initiative completely performed by our staff of their own fruition and ambition. We are very lucky to share and uphold such strong community values here at gfcu.

1,900+ Trees Planted

In April of 2019, gfcu planted just over 1,900 trees in Boundary Country. This was tied to a promotion in 2018, where we encouraged members to switch from paper statements to eStatements.

We are happy to announce that the promotion was a huge success and that more than 1,700 members switched over, which was a 60% increase over six months. With that said, we are still encouraging our members to make the switch. Even if only 30% of our members opt to receive paper statements each month, we will still print tens of thousands of pages each year. While we understand that some members need these physical copies, we believe that the vast majority do not.

If you have made the switch, thank you very much. If you have not, we encourage you to consider making this change, which can be done in moments by clicking HERE.