Team
Members

Team
Members

Powered by Good Day 2023

While Lake Trust focuses on empowering members’ financial wellbeing, our team members work with the understanding that finances only play one part in an individual’s overall wellbeing. On Monday, October 9, over 380 Lake Trust team members participated in the sixth annual Powered by Good Day (named Moved by Good Day before 2021) with volunteer activities focused on supporting other aspects of wellbeing, like education, housing, food, and health initiatives. The Lake Trust team contributed 1,003 volunteer hours between 27 nonprofits and 35 volunteer sites across the state.

At Holmes Elementary School in Ypsilanti (designated as a low-income school), Operation Warm once again acted as a partner to help provide brand new winter coats to every student. Lake Trust team members distributed over 500 winter coats and helped students find a coat in their size and favorite color. These coats may offer confidence, hope, improve health and wellbeing by making it possible for kids to go outside for recess, and may help improve student attendance. A donation from the Lake Trust Foundation made this event with Operation Warm possible.

To support youth literacy, teammates also volunteered at Mason Academy in Detroit and North Elementary in Lansing. Thanks to another donation from the Lake Trust Foundation, every student at both schools was able to pick out three new books though the Scholastic Book Fair. By the event's end, 878 students and both school libraries received 2,734 new books. Access to books can increase reading comprehension scores, improve critical thinking skills, and may boost a student’s confidence. However, Scholastic reports that 61 percent of low-income families in underserved communities have no books in their home.1 Even having as little as 25 books in a home can create a positive educational outcome, as students with this number of books or more complete two more years of school on average than a student with no books in the home.1 Events, like books fairs, can contribute to higher educational outcomes and spark a lifelong love of reading and learning.

Having access to fresh, nutritious food contributes to positive physical and mental wellbeing. In addition to volunteering at organizations that focus on providing food for families in need, the Lake Trust team also decorated over 1,000 paper lunch bags to support the Sack Suppers program through Kids’ Food Basket. This nonprofit provides after-school meals to ensure children go to bed with full stomachs.

To further support the organizations where we volunteered, the Lake Trust Foundation also donated $63,000 among all the nonprofits.

There’s power in all of us to give back to local communities by volunteering time, money, and resources. And together, we can make an even bigger impact.

Read more about this story on:
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Livingston Daily3
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Considering the current value of volunteer time is $31.80/hour2, the Lake Trust team helped local nonprofits save an estimated $31,895.40 in just one day.

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Finding the comfort of home, a little easier.

Read more about this story on:
The Lake Trust Latest
Livingston Daily3
Fox 2 Detroit3

Considering the current value of volunteer time is $31.80/hour2, the Lake Trust team helped local nonprofits save an estimated $31,895.40 in just one day.

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Lake Trust made the list of “Top Places to Work”3 by the Detroit Free Press in 2023.

Celebrating the power in all of us.

In 2023, Lake Trust continued to make strides to strengthen an inclusive culture and celebrate the diverse perspectives team members bring to work each day. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) learning and development was once again a requirement for all team members, as being more knowledgeable about diverse backgrounds helps everyone work together to better serve the needs of a diverse workforce, membership, and community.

Here are just a few additional examples of how Lake Trust celebrated and recognized diversity:

Women’s History Month

To gain inspiration and learn from one another, Lake Trust hosted panel discussions with team members from different departments and leadership positions during Women’s History Month. Panelists were asked questions about their career journeys, work-life balance, and more. This optional learning event garnered participation from 82 team members.

Inclusive Leadership Training

Every Lake Trust leader participated in inclusive leadership training conducted by consultant Jocelyn Giangrande to enhance leadership approaches to supporting a diverse group of team members. Jocelyn is the founder and president of diversity and inclusion consultancy Sashe LLC, where she focuses on building confidence and advancing the careers of women. She is also the author of “What’s in Your Sandwich?” and “The CEO’s Roadmap to Getting DEI Right”, books that focus on career development and how to build DEI into the fabric of workplace culture.

Veteran’s Day

To recognize heroes in Michigan communities, Lake Trust hosted a Veterans Day presentation where Bryan Bradford, founder of Veterans Connected, spoke to the Lake Trust team. Veterans Connected is a nonprofit organization based in Brighton that works to support military veterans and their families through financial assistance; advocacy; home, yard, and auto repair; and more. After the presentation, Lake Trust donated $6,000 to the nonprofit ($1,000 designated for each veteran employed here).

Social Media

On the Lake Trust social media channels, the Lake Trust team acknowledged the following cultural holidays and celebrations by sharing facts, team member stories, and member stories. By contributing personal stories, Lake Trust strives to build connections among team members, members, and community partners while helping one another learn from, and appreciate, diverse perspectives.

  • February: Black History Month
  • March: Women’s History Month
  • May: AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) Month
  • June: Pride Month
  • September-October: Hispanic Heritage Month

Lake Trust made the list of “Top Places to Work”3 by the Detroit Free Press in 2023.

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Supporting the financial wellbeing of the Lake Trust team.

Empowering financial wellbeing is at the heart of everything at Lake Trust. It not only motivates how Lake Trust serves its members and the community, but it includes expanding financial opportunities and resources for the Lake Trust team.

In 2023, each Lake Trust team member was encouraged to strengthen their financial wellbeing by setting a financial goal each quarter. They were also granted access to financial education resources to help them achieve those goals. And financial assistance in times of emergency.

Setting Financial Goals

Each team member was encouraged to set a financial wellness goal each quarter, choosing between the categories of building a better budget, reducing debt, or planning for your financial future. These goals were set as a reminder to keep moving toward increasing personal financial wellbeing and seek out resources and educational opportunities for that goal for the quarter. In 2023, 86% of Lake Trust team members participated in three of four quarters. This result surpassed Lake Trust’s goal of reaching a 70% participation rate.

Access to Financial Resources and Tools

Lake Trust team members were given access to financial education resources to help them reach their goals. These included resources like classes, webinars, budgeting tools and more through Voya, Pocketnest, Lifecare, GreenPath, and the Financial Educators Council.

  • Voya. Team members could register for live webinars and in-person sessions throughout the year to help on their journey to financial wellbeing. Topics included understanding retirement planning options and saving for their goals.

  • Pocketnest provided a financial wellness tool for team members to create and track a financial plan, check all areas of financial wellbeing from budgeting to planning for the future, and more.

  • GreenPath. Lake Trust piloted a program in partnership with GreenPath for team members who wanted to participate in a debt management program designed to help develop sound financial literacy skills and behaviors.

  • Lake Trust partnered with the National Financial Educators Council to create an online Financial Wellbeing Learning Center. It provided a full financial education curriculum. Team members could complete them all, or choose which ones fit their goals.

Team Member Assistance Fund

When the unexpected happens, even those with the best laid financial plans might benefit from additional support. The Lake Trust Team Member Assistance Fund is a resource available through the Lake Trust Foundation to all team members in the case of a financial hardship brought about by severe illness or injury, unexpected deaths, natural disasters, or any other extremely difficult circumstance.

In 2023, the fund provided financial assistance for team members in the form of rental assistance, helping with car payments, and more. Supporting Lake Trust team members beyond traditional benefits. And supporting overall financial wellbeing.

Since 2018, Lake Trust has helped our team members reduce over $500,000 dollars in student debt through our student loan repayment assistance program.

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Since 2018, Lake Trust has helped our team members reduce over $500,000 dollars in student debt through our student loan repayment assistance program.

The power of giving back.

Volunteering in Michigan communities aligns with Lake Trust’s mission to create a world in which everyone thrives. By giving time, sharing talents, and offering resources, our team can help individuals and families in need find access to essential resources to get back on their feet. Volunteering is also a great way to build connections and find more opportunities to give back.

The latest Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households (May 2022-May 2023), states 85 percent of adults reported their family budgets had been affected at least somewhat for at least one type of expense.4 Rising costs and the end of many pandemic-era support programs have had a significant impact on household budgets, making the programs and services of local nonprofits even more vital to enhancing wellbeing in our communities.

Hover over each area to learn more about how our team made an impact in specific areas of focus.

Clothing

256 Hours

Our team volunteered with Operation Warm to distribute 500 winter coats to every student at Holmes Elementary School in Ypsilanti.

Community Engagement/
Outreach

1876 Hours

By partnering with local groups focused on economic development, such as Chamber of Commerce groups, Lansing Economic Area Partnership, SPARK, and the Michigan Diversity Council, we help facilitate connections to enhance wellbeing in Michigan communities.

Business/
Financial
Education

970 Hours

In partnership with Downtown Lansing, Inc., team members conduct free financial literacy classes to support small business owners on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Food

1317 Hours

Gleaners distributes 2.1 million pounds of food to families in need through the Livingston Shared Harvest Pantry each year. Volunteers, like our team members, help stock and sort food at this store.5

Health

424 Hours

To enhance their emergency preparedness skills and possibly save a life one day, several team members took a course and received a CPR certification through the American Red Cross during Powered by Good Day.

Shelter

466 Hours

Team members volunteered at Habitat for Humanity of Michigan to help build a new home for a family in need. This nonprofit serves almost every county in our state.

Other

553 Hours

The Lake Trust team supports the Lake Trust Foundation by volunteering at the annual golf invitational. This is the largest fundraiser for the Foundation.

The estimated national value of volunteer time is $31.80/hour, meaning the total volunteer and community engagement hours are valued at over $186,411.2

1Kiser, M. (2023). Scholastic School Reading Events: Lake Trust Credit Union Program Results. (Electronic report). Scholastic Inc.

2Value of Volunteer Time. (2023, April 19). Independent Sector. Retrieved from https://independentsector.org/blog/independent-sector-releases-new-value-of-volunteer-time-of-31-80-per-hour/

3Third party website. Lake Trust Credit Union is not responsible for the content, availability, security or compliance of any linked third party websites. In addition, the site's privacy policies may differ from those of Lake Trust.

4Federal Reserve. (2023, June 2). Report On The Economic Well-Being Of U.S. Households In 2022-May 2023. “Expenses”. Retrieved from https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2023-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2022-expenses.htm

512 Ways Gleaners is Serving Livingston County. (2023, November 16). Gleaners Community Food Bank. Retrieved from https://www.gcfb.org/12-ways-gleaners-is-serving-livingston-county/