St. Luke Credit Union
Reflects Black History in NC

In 1948, North Carolina had almost as many rural African-American credit unions as all the other states combined. In this short documentary, we hear from residents of Bertie County who remember when one of these financial institutions, St. Luke Credit Union, brought new economic opportunities to their community. St. Luke is now part of the Self-Help Credit Union family, and this video is part of a series planned on our history.

Borrower Packrite Continues to Grow

In 2012, our loan officer Dale Harrold was impressed when he first visited an up-and-coming business called Packrite, a manufacturing facility in High Point, NC. Packrite started in 2008 with 18 employees, and they wanted to grow. We worked with Packrite to get financing through our SBA 504 program, a federal lending resource that provides low interest rate loans to help companies create jobs and boost economic development.

Today Packrite boasts 110 employees and plans to keep expanding. Self-Help Credit Union's most recent loan to Packrite in 2016 helped finance a 60,000-square-foot addition and new equipment.  

Above: Packrite officers and friends gather at a recent open house. From left: Mary Drummond, CEO; Michael Drummond, COO; Karen Hoskins (SBA, North Carolina District); Lavon Boone (Director); and Dale Harrold (SBA Loan Officer, Self-Help Credit Union) 

Summer Internships —
Apply by February 26

At Self-Help, we take summer internships seriously, and we have some seriously interesting jobs. Find out more about the types of projects we offer and why interns are so important to our work.

Loans to Assist with Disabilities

The ability to have a conversation... to ride in a vehicle... to cook a meal. Many of us take these everyday tasks for granted, but people with physical disabilities often need access to equipment such as hearing aids and vehicle upfits. These "assistive technologies" can be expensive. If you or someone you love needs help purchasing personal technology related to a disability, contact us or find out more about these personal loans.

Tips for Reducing Tax Stress

Preparing taxes can be time-consuming and stressful, but a nice refund makes it all worthwhile. According to the website NerdWallet, the average tax refund in recent years has been $3,000. See some good tips for preparing your taxes with less stress. And if you do receive a refund, keep in mind that Self-Help Credit Union has savings and money markets accounts and CDs that give you great ways to save and invest.  

Quick Takes

As the first signs of spring come to NC, flowers aren’t the only things popping up. In the months ahead, be on the lookout for new Self-Help signs in all of our branches and offices. Above: New signs in Charlotte (left) and Laurinburg (right).

Self-Help’s Asheville branch (S. French Broad) is now displaying work by local artists, beginning with photographs of historic Asheville by Andrea Clark. Clark’s connection with Self-Help dates back to 1994, when she opened an account with United Services, one of our legacy credit unions.

This month, Self-Help’s blog includes a personal tribute to the great lawyer and activist Pauli Murray. Murray’s family home in Durham has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. Below: Photo of house by Barbara Lau. Photo of Ms. Murray courtesy of the NC Collection, Wilson Library in Chapel Hill, NC.

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Our blog, Self-Help Shares, focuses on people who are making a difference in their communities. We also cover topics such as healthy food projects, assistance to NC hurricane victims, community scholarships, clean energy projects and much more. To get your weekly dose of news and inspiration, update your subscription profile to include the blog updates today!