On December 31, First Trust Credit Union was signed into existence by the effort of a small group of La Porte teachers. Over the last 60 years, First Trust has grown from a small member base of La Porte County teachers to an expanding company with three other locations in Michigan City, Valparaiso, and Wheatfield serving the counties of Porter, La Porte, Jasper, Newton, and Pulaski. To celebrate, First Trust is offering both current members and new members a number of promotions and giveaways at every location –and trust us, you don’t want to miss out.
Between weekly $60 gift card drawings to a grand prize of his and hers diamond jewelry sets, First Trust is also offering their own scratch offs for new members and new loans which award prizes from a mug set to a nylon tote bag and other fun prizes. First Trust Marketing Director, Dorene Martinson, was happy to be able to involve members in the celebration.
“We have our ‘Trust Us Diamond Anniversary’ promotion going on that is a two-month promotion and celebration,” Martinson said. “Then on Friday, January 31, all of our members will be entered to win a grand prize which are diamond jewelry sets that will be given out at each branch location.”
What most people may not know is that credit unions serve a wider range of people than you might think. Over the years First Trust and other credit unions have grown from only offering their services to members with certain jobs to anyone who lives or works in the counties they serve.
“Back in the day, credit unions had a member base that was very SEG-based (Select Employee Groups),” Martinson said. “But we’ve branched out from that which is nice because we’re able to serve more people in a broader area.”
Another important fact to know is that credit unions are different from traditional banks in many ways but do everything that a bank does while serving as a full service financial institution.
“We offer all types of accounts including savings and checking, along with loan products including mortgages. We also do small business accounts and loans which many credit unions and small banks don’t do,” Martinson said. “We’re one of the few in the area that serve small businesses in this capacity, and that’s nice to be able to serve this segment of the community.”
Credit Unions are not for profit, but for service, which means that credit unions like First Trust are very member focused.
“Our focus is to take care of our members and provide them the financial services that they need without trying to turn over a large profit,” Martinson said. “We are governed by a volunteer board of directors, so we’re all about giving back our profits to our members.”
“An anniversary is always very exciting and celebrating is really just a way to reach out to our members, honor them, and give them free gifts and giveaways to show our appreciation for them,” Martinson said. “This is all very member-oriented which is what First Trust is all about.”
For more information go to www.firsttrustcu.com.
