Is it time for a little spring cleaning? Don’t forget that GHCU’s Annual Shredathon is April 24, 10 am to 2 pm at our Northgate branch. Bring two shopping bags (the size of paper bags from the grocery store) full of sensitive documents and watch them go into the shredder. Old paystubs, credit union or bank statements, receipts, credit card applications: these are the documents identity thieves dream about. Shredding these documents can greatly reduce your risk of identity theft.

After your documents are securely shredded, step into the branch to say hello to the Northgate team and see the renovations. All those months of being a bit cramped in the temporary space were worth it—the branch is beautiful and we’re eager to show it off! There are also some special deals available, only in person and only during our Renovation Celebration, so stop by before May 31!

The Annual Meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 17 at Seattle’s Museum of Flight. The meeting will officially begin at 7 pm, but members are invited to come at any time during that day to tour the museum for free. Appetizers will be available starting at 6 pm. Parking is free and plentiful.

Every member of GHCU has a voice and a vote, so please join us and share in the cooperative effort that is Group Health Credit Union!

 (Celebration and Shredathon address: 11023 8th Avenue NE, Seattle, 98125)

If you’ve visited the Northgate branch lately, you’ve no doubt noticed a few changes. Gone are the imposing teller desk and view-blocking columns, replaced with more open space, low desks and a friendlier feel. Says Ella Agcamaran, Assistant Manager of the Northgate branch, “Our members definitely love the newly remodeled branch, and everybody in the branch seems happier!” Branch Manager Matthew Hensley agrees: “I think the renovated space looks and feels fantastic! I truly believe that the changes  create a more welcoming and positive member experience. Members love it and are blown away by how nice it looks: they walk in, and their jaws drop, and they say ‘wow.’”

 It took a few months of rather cramped conditions, but the response from staff and members has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, according to Bryan Corning, Senior PFR at Northgate, “We’ve done more sales here in a week than in six weeks at the temporary location!”

 If you haven’t had a chance to check out Northgate’s new look, we have just the occasion for you: our Renovation Celebration and Shredathon! On Friday, April 23, please join us for a small celebration in honor of our beautiful new branch, and we hope you’ll come back on Saturday the 24^th with up to two bags’ worth of shredables for our shred trucks! Let GHCU and Shred-It help you empty your file drawers and guard your identity by securely shredding old documents. Not sure what to shred? Visit our blog for more information!

No matter how you give, you want to be certain your money goes to the intended recipient. With the advent of charitable giving via text message, there are even more ways for thieves to cash in on your good intentions. Here are some tips to be sure your money goes where you meant it to:

• Never respond to an email or text message solicitation, even if it appears to be from a reputable organization. Go directly to that organization’s website to donate or send them a check in the mail.
• Be wary of any email claiming to contain photographs of victims or the earthquake scene. These emails may contain viruses and should be deleted immediately.
• When using text messaging to donate, be certain you’ve got the right number. The American Red Cross is receiving donations via text, and their number is on their website. Numbers forwarded by well-intentioned friends may still contain incorrect and even fraudulent information.
• Regard with suspicion anyone soliciting contributions by phone or at your front door, particularly if you’ve never heard of the organization they represent and if you didn’t initiate the conversation. Never give your credit card number or account information to anyone whose affiliation you can’t completely verify.
• When donating online, be certain the webpage where you give your information has “https” in the URL and a lock icon somewhere on the page. These indicate a secure site.
• The Better Business Bureau provides a list of charities that have been vetted by the Bureau.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 had a devastating impact on the lives of the Haitian people: the Haitian government estimates the death toll may be as high as 200,000, with perhaps a quarter-million residents of the country injured and up to 2 million homeless. The need for aid is increasingly desperate as supplies grow short.

The world has responded with aid in the form of money, medical supplies and healthcare professionals, food, clean water and other necessary assistance. But still more help is needed.

To aid in the effort to help the victims, GHCU is accepting donations on behalf of Doctors Without Borders. Members and the public are welcome to donate at any of our branch locations or by calling 800-562-5515 (206-298-9394 locally).

Doctors Without Borders—also known as “MSF” for Medecins Sans Frontieres—is an “international medical humanitarian organization” started via a cooperative effort among journalists and doctors in France in 1971. Independent, impartial MSF exists solely to assist people who have found themselves in fear of their lives due to violence or natural disaster. The doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, lab techs and other healthcare professionals who work with MSF believe that everyone, no matter where they live, is entitled to quality medical care.

GHCU will be accepting contributions at least through the end of February. Doctors Without Borders is an extremely efficient organization, with more than 85% of contributions going directly to social-mission programs and public education, so you know that your contribution is going where it is most urgently needed and where it will have the most impact. Thank you for your generosity.

Most of us know by now that eStatements and online banking and bill pay require less paper and produce less waste. However, not everyone is convinced that switching to digital versions of paper statements and bills is the best, or safest, alternative. In an effort to promote our earth-friendly (and wallet-friendly) banking choices, GHCU instituted its “Neighborhood Harvest” campaign.

To spark interest and conversation, five immature fruit trees were distributed among our five branches to live for the month of September. On October 3, the trees were planted in their permanent home at the Dakota p-patch and orchard in Seattle’s Rainier Valley. There the trees will be tended by the 30 p-patch gardeners.

It’s a win-win-win: GHCU’s members win, because our initiatives are “green” in more ways than one. Mailing paper statements costs the credit union—and its members—money. eStatements are far less expensive, and we can pass the difference back to our members in the form of better rates. Additionally, eStatements and online bill pay are more secure than their paper counterparts: mailbox theft is a leading cause of identity fraud in the United States.

The Rainier Valley community also wins. Many of the p-patch
gardeners rely on their plots to supplement their tables. Overflow fruit will be given to the surrounding community and local food banks to provide fresh produce to people who might otherwise
go without.

And the earth wins. Every member who opts for online banking, bill pay and eStatements will save around 6.6 pounds of paper, 4.5 gallons of gas and 63 gallons of wastewater every year.*

Saving the planet is hard. Saving 6.6 pounds of paper a year is easy! Information on how to sign up for online banking, bill pay and eStatements is available on our website, ghcu.org.

*Information from payitgreen.org.

If you’re in Seattle on October 3, we’d like to invite you to attend our tree planting ceremony and celebration. It’s the culmination of our Neighborhood Harvest campaign, and we’ll be planting our five fruit trees in their permanent home at the Dakota p-patch and orchard (map).

The trees have been in our branch locations throughout September to remind us that there are steps we can all take to preserve our natural resources. (Hint: signing up for online banking, bill pay and eStatements is a great way to reduce use of paper, water and fuel and cut down on waste!)

Once planted, the trees will be tended by the gardeners of the Dakota p-patch. When the trees are mature, the fruit they produce will be shared among the community. Overflow fruit will be donated to local food banks.

We hope you’ll join us at 10 am, October 3 for the planting and to share some refreshments. All are welcome!

Every year on the third Thursday of October, credit unions and their members all over the world celebrate the spirit of cooperation and the power of member ownership. October 15, 2009 is International Credit Union Day, and we hope you’ll join us for juice and snacks in our branches.

We know a lot of the reasons people join credit unions: they appreciate the lower fees and rates on loans and higher returns on deposit products; they like being treated like a valued member, not a number; they like that members determine their CU’s decisions—not stockholders. We’d like to hear why YOU chose to become and remain a member. Please send us an email at news@ghcu.org with “Why I’m a Member” in the subject line. We’ll choose some comments to put on our website and on Twitter!

There’s a bit more foliage in our branch locations right now, all part of our Neighborhood Harvest campaign for the month of September.

To promote our “green” initiatives, we’ve brought a little bit of nature in to our branches: five immature fruit trees. Each branch is “fostering” a tree for the month of September, then the trees will go to their permanent homes at the Dakota p-patch and orchard in Rainier Valley. The gardeners at the p-patch will tend the trees and share the fruit with the local community.

Our green initiatives are all about taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint and to provide our members with the opportunity to do the same. eStatements, digital Gear Up newsletter, online banking and bill pay all reduce paper and water usage, lower the amount of fuel we require to do business, and lessen the amount of waste we produce.

Fortunately, what’s good for the planet is also good for our members and good for business.

• eStatements, online banking and bill pay are all more secure than their paper-dependent counterparts. One of the main causes of identity theft is having personal information filched from your mailbox or your trash.
• Our green initiatives save on postage–yours and ours! When you pay your bills automatically, no stamps are required. And the credit union can save itself (and its members) a great deal of money now spent on postage by sending out more statements electronically.
• Electronic banking saves on storage and waste. Your electronic statements are archived for a year–no filing cabinets or storage closets required! And if you don’t get paper, you don’t have paper to store or dispose of.

The official planting of our trees in their permanent homes is tentatively scheduled for October 3. Please join us to celebrate! As we get closer to planting day, more details will be available here, at our branches or on our website.

Special thanks to Michael R. Clapp of nwnature.net, for permission to use his beautiful photographs of NW birds in our campaign!

To help these families, GHCU is accepting donations of travel-sized hygiene products which will be given to the families of children undergoing treatment at Seattle Children’s hospital. Please feel free to stop by and contribute toothbrushes and toothpaste, etc. [See list below] Drop-off boxes have been placed in each branch and will be available for donations through the end of August. Please be sure the products are new and unopened. We are also accepting cash donations to be applied to the purchase of these products.

When a child is sick or hurt, having fresh breath is likely the last thing on a parent’s mind. But it’s amazing what a difference these little creature comforts can make on attitude and morale. If having clean teeth makes it a little easier to smile, then GHCU, its members and the community are here to help.

For branch locations, click here.

GHCU is now accepting donations of brand-new, unopened:

• toothbrushes
• toothpaste
• deodorant
• shaving cream
• razors
• non-perishable snacks like granola bars, crackers, cookies, etc.
• books for kids, esp. books in other languages (Spanish)
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