Submitted by South Puget Sound Community Foundation
When community partners like TwinStar Credit Union and South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) join forces, their impact goes beyond helping individuals achieve short-term goals. As engaged community partners they know student success leads to broader community success.
Since many SPSCC graduates stay local and contribute to Olympia and Thurston County, they can pay forward the generous support that helped them thrive academically. A fervent desire to give back through helping professions, such as nursing and teaching, and entrepreneurial enterprises that bolster local economic growth is a common theme among graduates.
TwinStar Credit Union and SPSCC continue to demonstrate their commitment to the long game of helping students succeed so they can continue to build the foundation for a thriving community. Director of Strategic Partnerships & Major Gifts Amber Wetzel observed, “TwinStar Credit Union continues to be a strong community partner with a special connection to our local communities.”
Celebrating a 40-Year Partnership
The TwinStar Credit Union-SPSCC partnership, which began in 1983, has been highly effective in helping students get the support they need to reach the finish line of their academic aspirations. Over the past four decades, TwinStar Credit Union has been a loyal contributor to the college, assisting students through scholarships such as the TwinStar Credit Union Scholarship in Automotive Technology or the TwinStar Scholarship in Business and grants such as the TwinStar Credit Union Entrepreneurial Grant funded via the TwinStar Community Foundation. They have also contributed to the Foundation’s fundraising efforts such as the Student Success Campaign and sponsored many of SPSCC’s signature events.
On SPSCC’s Lacey campus, which houses the college’s Corporate and Continuing Education classes, the Center for Business and Innovation, and The Economic Development Council, the TwinStar Community Foundation Event Center was named in recognition of their tremendous support. Once again highlighting the significant impact the partnership has made on students and communities over the past four decades.
Access for All Community Members
In alignment with SPSCC’s commitment to helping all students access higher education, TwinStar Credit Union has generously contributed to the college’s equity resources, contributing to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center and IGNITE Program grants, as well as providing substantial support to the SPSCC Food Pantry. Director of Community Engagement Corinn Wohl commented on TwinStar’s practice of working with community partners to ensure everyone has access to essential resources so the community can grow and thrive. She shared, “This includes community members who are often marginalized and includes programs through the TwinStar Community Foundation that help K-12 students by paying off lunch debts so they can focus on school. Well-fed kids create well-fed minds. Helping to support basic needs and provide opportunities for students to thrive also supports increased retention and graduation rates.”
This sentiment is evident in TwinStar’s generous support of IGNITE scholarships, financial literacy programs, as well as financial products that help marginalized community members gain access to loans and mortgages. TwinStar’s commitment to community statement “to remove barriers so that every household in our communities has access to affordable and responsible financial services that they need.” Their support of SPSSC’s programs are just a few examples of the many ways they collaborate to make their commitment a reality.
Sharing Educational Values and Financial Education Resources
Another way TwinStar Credit Union aligns with SPSCC is through shared values amplifying the vital role of education in sustaining community growth. Corinn pointed out that TwinStar originally began as a teacher’s credit union in 1938 to help teachers who struggled to get small loans on a teacher’s salary. Based in a classroom in Olympia High School, the credit union was founded in Thurston County with strong ties and commitment to the local community—making the support of educators, students, and schools a core aspiration.
Examples of their continuing work in this area include the financial literacy programs they offer young people and adults. The credit union has created numerous financial literacy products and training programs to help community members become confident in effectively managing their financial resources. These resources help participants build skills in budgeting, resource planning, saving, accessing loans, and becoming homeowners.
At SPSCC, TwinStar works with SPSCC’s Health & Wellness team through the industry-leading MoneyEDU program, which provides financial wellness education and resources to SPSCC students, staff, and faculty. Among its many benefits the program even included a promotional drawing for a $500 VISA gift card as an incentive for participants to apply newly acquired financial literacy skills.
Student Success = Community Success Through Shared Understanding
Understanding that students at SPSCC reflect the greater community, TwinStar Credit Union and SPSCC Foundation continue to work together to address a wide variety of student needs. Looking at students holistically as representative of different life experiences in various stages makes it possible for the community partnership between the two institutions to be effective and impactful beyond the classroom. Amber Wetzel shared, “Building on the success of our partnership, we will continue down this path as we encourage students to complete their degrees and make a difference in the lives of others in the community.”
To learn how you can partner with the SPSCC Foundation to support student success, contact the SPSCC Foundation office at 360.596.5430 or email Foundation@spscc.edu
Sponsored
