Page 5 - MCUL: Contact Magazine - Q4 2019

FROM THE DESK

OF THE EDITOR

This issue of Contact marks the end of 2019, and like most of you, it has me refl ecting on not only the last 12
months but also the last 10 years and all that the Michigan credit union community has done.

The amount of lives touched by our fi nancial literacy outreach efforts, alone, is incredible. My mind also jumps to
seeing then-Gov. Rick Snyder on stage at the 2016 Annual Convention & Exposition in Detroit to sign the modern-
ization of the Michigan Credit Union Act — a landmark moment.

Of course, one of the biggest accomplishments of our movement during the past decade is the continual growth of
credit union memberships. As Christopher Estes, president/CEO of Security Credit Union, points out in his article
on the importance of grassroots enthusiasm, national membership has risen more than 30% in the past 10 years.

As we know, memberships are more than just a number — a new membership means one more person is now
host to the credit union difference. On top of the healthy fi nancial products and services we provide, they are now
part of a movement that believes in cooperation for the sake of making our nation, state and communities better
places for all to live.

Speaking of grassroots enthusiasm, this issue’s feature is a breakdown of our recent annual trip to Hike the Hill,
in which the Michigan Credit Union League and 50 credit union representatives met with legislators about issues
currently affecting credit unions.

As always, I’m happy to tell Contact readers that the following pages offer some valuable thoughts from voices in the
Michigan credit union community. There’s the aforementioned article by Estes, as well as an article from Chris Ison,
the chair of the U.P. Chapter of Credit Unions and president/CEO of Tahquamenon Area Credit Union, that details
how the Chapter, despite sprawling across so much land and representing so many folks, is able to stay united.

In another piece, I was given the pleasure of talking to a couple of credit union leaders – International UAW Federal
Credit Union CEO Fabian Ellis and Tandem Federal Credit Union CEO Dierdre Taylor – who, in the face of a sudden
disaster, came together to epitomize the collaborative ethos of the credit union movement.

It’s stories like that one, in combination with the large-scale achievements such as the 2016 modernization of
the Michigan Credit Union Act, that have me excited for everything that credit unions can and will accomplish in
2020 and beyond.

CAN WE COUNT ON YOU? Best,

Order your 2020 State PAC pin and help support credit unions today!

Shawn Glinis
LEARN MORE @ MCUL.org/elections-and-fundraising

MCUL’s State PAC is a state-registered political action committee that makes campaign contributions to candidates for elective
office in Michigan. Contributions to the MCUL State PAC are not tax deductible. Contributions to the MCUL State PAC are FOURTH QUARTER 2019 I CONTACT 5 5
completely voluntary and will be used for political purposes. You have the right to refuse to participate without any reprisal.

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