Financial Profile 2016 – Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union: by Amanda Bridge

From the beginning, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has moved forward with the self-assigned task to help members make smart financial choices. In over 100 years, our mission has never dwindled, and in fact has only become stronger and more prevalent in the Merrimack Valley area.

Our members are more than customers, and the people in the local area are more than strange faces, together we are all neighbors. As the third oldest cooperative in the United States, we are proud to help our neighbors buy their first homes, open their own businesses and send their children to college.

As we prepare to celebrate our 104th birthday in February, we recognize how the passion we have for making a difference has affected the lives of our members over the years. The credit union opened its doors in Lowell in 1912 to help immigrants from all over the world working in the mills gain and maintain financial stability. Today,
we have multiple branch locations, mortgage and commercial loan centers and a member service center. We have grown tremendously, but our purpose has always remained the same – to be a trusted source of financial and community support.

Through financial education, extensive banking opportunities, and unwavering community outreach, we are dedicated to helping our community and members achieve their best social and financial well-being. We want those who join our cause to succeed, and to be able to reach every one of their goals. Our Financial Education Team works with kids from pre-k to college so they build a stable financial foundation to support them when they enter the real world. Our help extends itself to adulthood with programs and workshops offered in home buying and credit building.

When members, and even non-members, are educated on how to navigate the confusing and winding roads of finances, they feel more comfortable moving forward in life. The credit union provides a safe haven of options so they have direction when making financial decisions. From checking accounts to business lending and student loans, we want to make our members aware they can turn to us for any issue they’re facing, or venture they’re taking on.

To the general public, Jeanne D’Arc is known as a financial institution, but those who really know what we stand for, know we are so much more than that. We are a member-owned cooperative, and while we return our profits to our members in the form of better yields, lower rates, little to no fees, and free convenient services, we are also an organization built on a united philosophy of caring for our peers, protecting the environment, and providing a helping hand to those who need it.

Our community is our most significant driving force. We were founded here and have been able to thrive here, which is why we make it a top priority to consistently give back to the place that gave us a home.

The selfless, open-minded and loving nature of our staff is recognized through countless hours of volunteering for hundreds of organizations in the area. Our team serves dinner at homeless shelters, works on home construction projects for low-income residents, stocks shelves at food pantries, teaches financial education to women and teens living in domestic shelters, finds homes for abandoned animals, helps build community gardens, participates in park clean-ups, and contributes clothing and hygiene items to teens in need. Where there is a need, there is a Jeanne D’Arc employee there to fill it.

We are proud to have spent time and energy bettering the lives of the less fortunate, putting smiles on the faces of people going through hardship, and simply reminding everyone that we are here to help.

This expands itself into our We Share A Common Thread Foundation. Through generous donations and our annual fundraising event, we are able to pass proceeds along to dozens of local charities each year to enhance the lives of people in our local neighborhoods by providing assistance with food, clothing, health and education.

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union has the responsibility of being a constant in the lives of the people it serves, not because we have to be, but because we want to be.
Our purpose goes far beyond just being a credit union, or just another financial institution. We care for our members and our neighbors because they are our friends and our family. We share the ups and downs of life, we share stories, we share hopes, and we share dreams. In fact, we share a common thread.

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union: Lowell, Dracut, Chelmsford, Tyngsboro, Methuen and Westford, Mass.
(978) 452-5001  /  JDCU.com