EECU Visa Gift Card. Member Spotlight: Brandy Ramos Nikaido

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1 m SUMMER 2014 ISSUE yno. 19 EECU MEMBER PROFILE Member Spotlight: Brandy Ramos Nikaido Brandy Ramos Nikaido s job fits perfectly with her zeal for education and her desire to enhance the quality of life in the San Joaquin Valley. That s where my passion is education and research, and improving the health of the community, she says. Her position with UC Merced provides an opportunity to promote and advance those endeavors. She is the director of external relations and special projects at the UC Merced Fresno Center, and also serves as the director of media relations for UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program. (Cont. inside Brandy Ramos Nikaido) PRODUCT/SERVICE PROFILE EECU Visa Gift Card Trying to decide on the perfect gift for friends and family? Make it easy on yourself and give them what they really want an EECU Visa gift card. The cards can be used almost anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Your friends and family get to decide how and where they want to use it. Make everyone happy by giving them the gift that never disappoints. Stop by a branch today to purchase a Visa gift card or visit our website for details. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: New EECU ATM in Fowler EECU Donates $16,000 to Nonprofits Manager Profile Congratulations to Our Grant Recipients Your Preapproved Offers Are Just a Click Away! Review Your Beneficiary Designations

2 SUMMER 2014 Bulletin Board Holiday Hours In observance of the following holidays we will be closed: EECU Donates $16,000 to Nonprofits As part of our 80th birthday celebration, EECU recently gave away $16,000 to local nonprofit organizations at our Annual Meeting in June. The Valley Animal Center received $5,000 when Mark Perez, senior vice president of Lending/ Marketing, emerged with the winner during an apple bobbing contest. Independence Day Friday, July 4 th Our Call Center will be closed Saturday, July 5 th. Normal business hours will resume on Monday, July 7 th Labor Day Monday, September 1 st Normal business hours will resume on Tuesday, September 2 nd. Beth Dooley, EECU president/ceo, (right) presents a $5,000 check to Kelly Joos, executive director of the Valley Animal Center. New EECU ATM in Fowler We recently opened an ATM in Fowler at 2830 E. Manning Ave. (next to ARCO) just off Highway 99. The ATM is available 24/7 and is envelope-free, which means you can make deposits without using an envelope. Stop by soon! Mark Perez, EECU senior vice president of Lending/Marketing, emerges with the winning apple while Beth Dooley looks on. The public voted from among 12 nonprofits for the final pool of eight organizations in the running and in the apple bobbing contest for the $5,000 donation. But no one walked away empty-handed. The other 11 nonprofits each received $1,000, and they are Boys and Girls Club, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Central Valley Honor Flight, Children s Miracle Network, Community Food Bank, Hinds Hospice, Marjaree Mason Center, Reading and Beyond, San Joaquin River Parkway, Terry s House, and United Way. Congratulations to all the nonprofits! They all do such great work in our community and we hope our donations will help them continue to fulfill their missions.

3 Congratulations to Our Grant Recipients The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 EECU student grant program. Each recipient will receive $2,000 to be used toward college education expenses. This is the 12th year that EECU has offered the Educational Grant Program to assist members with their higher education expenses. Over 350 eligible applications were received, and a dedicated team of EECU employees, officials, and member volunteers selected the recipients. The applicants were evaluated based on information provided in their grant application, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and transcripts. Several of the recipients this year are also past recipients of an EECU grant. The grant recipients received special recognition at our Annual Meeting last month. Dr. Frank Powell, chair of EECU s Board of Directors, and Beth Dooley, EECU s president/ceo, presented each recipient with a certificate of achievement. We congratulate the 50 grant recipients and wish them continued success in their field of study. Applications for the 2015 grant program will be available in October. Kaitlyn Allen Madera, CA Carly Anders Clovis, CA Arantes Armendariz Fresno, CA Emily Beiter Clovis, CA Benjamin Bohan Fresno, CA Emily Bohan ** Fresno, CA Tristan Broughton Fresno, CA Laurel Bruce ** Clovis, CA Kaitlin Buletti Auberry, CA Michelle Campbell * Fresno, CA Annette Carroll Big Creek, CA Enrique Cazares-Navarro Parlier, CA Ana Covarrubias Fresno, CA Macy Davis Kingsburg, CA Chloe Doyle Madera, CA Anthony Evaristo Fresno, CA Aubree Facio Clovis, CA Kristyn Fletcher Madera, CA Francisco Gomez-Alvarado Fresno, CA Miranda Gonzales Lemoore, CA Jessica Goston * Fresno, CA Mark Grisez * Clovis, CA Leilani Gutierrez-Palominos Fresno, CA Mai Zong Her Berkeley, CA Brittany Hopkins Tulare, CA Carson King Selma, CA Aaryn Mackey Hanford, CA Nickie Matus Fresno, CA Shauna Miller Fresno, CA Amanda Mireles ** Sanger, CA Morgan Montelongo ** Fresno, CA Andres Nevarez Fresno, CA David Nippoldt Reedley, CA Celina Perez Visalia CA Maria Perez Corcoran, CA Brenda Quiroz Fresno, CA Jonathan Ray Clovis, CA Jimmy Ruiz, Jr. Los Angeles, CA Taylor Sakamoto * Clovis, CA Jennifer Schmidt Hattiesburg, MS Sherrianna Scott Prather, CA SherMing Tan Fresno, CA Jane Tatum Dinuba, CA Richard Urbano Fresno, CA Luke Vera Clovis, CA Daniel Ward * Fresno, CA Chandler Warne Clovis, CA Natalie Wong Fresno, CA Christi Xiong Fresno, CA Shayan Zoghi Fresno, CA *Two-time recipient **Three-time recipient

4 MEMBER PROFILE Brandy Ramos Nikaido (Cont. from Cover) As the liaison between UC Merced and Fresno, Brandy promotes the good works of the campus and UCSF Fresno, a role that blends nicely with her volunteer interests through which she gives back to the community. Brandy says a quote attributed to Buddha sums up her way of thinking in doing her part to strengthen the community and education in the Valley: Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. She says, The same is true for education. One s knowledge never decreases by being shared. That s why I work for the University of California. That s why I m on the EECU grant committee. That s why I work closely with the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium. That s why I volunteer at my kids school. Our region has wonderful college options, and students should be encouraged to take advantage of them, she says. However, even if they attend college outside the area, the hope is that they return, she says. We need to make the Valley a better place so they want to come back and improve their communities, she says. We need to make sure we don t lose them. One way to move toward that goal, she says, is through a conference at UCSF Fresno in the fall 2014 for UC Merced and Fresno State students aspiring to be doctors. The conference, funded by a grant from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and a contribution from EECU, will show students the pathway to becoming physicians and possibly entice them to set up practice in the Valley. Programs like the conference serve the students well. The more education you have, the more choices and options you have in life. Brandy, a UC Berkeley graduate, received her own educational encouragement from her parents. Her father, Ken Nikaido, is a retired Clovis Unified School District high school teacher and her stepmother, Cindy Nikaido, is a Clovis kindergarten teacher. Her inspiration to earn a college degree and do well in life also comes from her mother, Cruz Ramos, who is the city manager for the rural community of San Joaquin. I owe a lot to her. Brandy says of her mother. I would not be where I am today without the support of my mom, my dad and stepmom. Away from her job and volunteer work, Brandy enjoys movies, walking her dog and working out, reading magazines, going to the beach, and spending time with her two sons, Zachary and Roman, and her significant other, Josh Meno. Brandy has been an EECU member since childhood when her father opened an account for her. I have an affinity for EECU because it s an organization for teachers and their families, and because the credit union gives to many community programs and projects. She says serving as a reader for EECU s student grant program is an uplifting experience. Reading the grant applications is invigorating to see what young people overcome to pursue their dreams, she says. It s a real pleasure to be on the committee. Annual Meeting Thank You Thank you to all of our members who came out to celebrate our 80 th birthday at the 2014 Annual Meeting at Buchanan High School in June. The evening was filled with lots of food, fun, camaraderie and great information. Thank you, everyone, for your support!

5 MANAGER SPOTLIGHT Paula Minugh Paula Minugh s Support Services staff embodies EECU s mission statement, which in part reads, achieving unrivaled member satisfaction by understanding our members financial needs. That s why we re here to give our members peace of mind so they know they can trust us, she says. Paula is manager of the Support Services Department, which provides technical and operational support for EECU s branches, the Call Center and members. Her knowledgeable staff specializes in specific services and products to better serve members. The staff also must keep current on changing financial regulations to protect members. If there is a question on a transaction or on an account, we will research it to get the best resolution for the member, she says. The department also tests and implements EECU products, and answers s from members. Support Services staff also ensures that member accounts are protected and transactions are posted properly. The role of Support Services is a vital part of EECU s commitment to excellent service for members, which Paula says is a rewarding experience. The greatest joy of working in a back office operation is seeing the end result of a happy, satisfied member, says Paula, who has been with EECU for 31 years. She is proud to work for EECU because the credit union is generous in donating money and staff volunteer time to many worthy programs and projects in the communities that the credit union serves. What I like about EECU that I carry on to my personal life is community service, she says. At The Well Community Church where Paula attends, she is involved in a women s life group that participates in various volunteer activities, like making blankets for patients at Children s Hospital Central California and working at thrift stores. Paula also enjoys spending time with her family. She has a son and a daughter Paul, 24, and Emily, 18 and a 3-year-old grandson, Nathaniel, to whom she thoroughly loves being a grandmother. I m living life all over again through him, she says. Paula says providing quality financial products and services, for members, as EECU s mission statement says, stems from the friendly and cooperative workplace atmosphere. And that, in turn, makes her job easier. I ve always been treated like I m part of our EECU family, she says, and when you re treated like that, you want to pass it on to our members.

6 EECU INFORMATION BULLETIN Your Preapproved Offers Are Just a Click Away Shopping for a new car? Ditching your higherrate Visa for a low-rate EECU Visa? We ve got great news for you! Now you can find out if you re preapproved for a loan just by logging into your online account. We ve been sending preapproved offers by mail for many years, but now those same offers will also be displayed in Online Access on the Loan Preapproval screen. This is a real benefit because it allows you to view your preapproved offers online at any time. Once you re logged into your account, simply select the Loan Preapproval tab and you ll see your preapproved loan offers, the dollar amount of the approval, and the current rate. You can even select from the available terms and see how it changes the monthly payment. Each offer includes an Acceptance button, so you can accept the offer right on screen. Now that s convenient! To see your current preapproved loan offers, login to your account today. A Good Time to Review Beneficiary Designations Published quarterly by: EDUCATIONAL EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION P.O. Box 5242 Fresno, CA Member Service Center Website myeecu.org Have you updated your beneficiary information recently? Members commonly designate a beneficiary(s) when they open their account, and don t review or update their beneficiary designations as their life situation changes (i.e. divorce, marriage, births, etc.). If something should happen to you, you ultimately want your hard-earned money to go to the people you care about the most. It is crucial to review your beneficiary designations on a regular basis, and preferably once a year. If you re not sure who your beneficiaries are, just give us a call or visit any EECU branch. It s easy to update beneficiary information; contact us for more information. EQUAL HOUSING LENDER Federally Insured by NCUA