Since 1957, Downey Federal Credit Union (DFCU) has strived to serve the financial needs of our members while also being an active member of the community. DFCU was originally founded to serve the needs of the Downey Union High School District employees but over the years we have continued to expand. In 2019, DFCU expanded our membership to include those who work, live, attend school or worship the following cities:
In April of 2019, Downey Federal Credit Union was recognized as a Juntos Avanzamos ("Together We Advance") credit union. Inclusiv, an organization dedicated to helping low-income and moderate-income communities reach financial stability through credit unions, developed the Juntos Avanzamos program to highlight credit unions that are committed to helping their Hispanic and immigrant community members navigate the US financial system. Minorities and immigrants are a large part of the U.S. economy and an important market in the low- and moderate-income communities that credit unions serve. Yet many minorities remain largely unbanked and vulnerable to predatory financial service providers. As a diverse community-based financial institution, DFCU's mission is to offer a full spectrum of low-cost, secure financial products and services to our valued members, in an environment of personalized and friendly service. Our credit union offers Spanish online banking services and accepts ITIN and the Matricula Consular to establish membership.
In 2019, we gifted approximately $22,000 back to the communities we serve in the form of special school programs, student scholarships, and Student Enrichment Grants; support for local non-profit organizations such as Stay Gallery, TLC, The Arc, G.O.O.D, and SEAACA; and also, the backing of local entities, like the YMCA, local Police and Fire Departments, the Downey Chamber of Commerce and more. Lastly, $5 of our $7 one-time membership fee continues to be donated to one of three local charities, which resulted in donations in the amount of $8,043.00 in 2018.
In addition to our monetary contributions, we have hosted financial education workshops for local schools and organizations, reaching over 1,000 members of our community. We are proud to say that we work with Downey Unified School District to bring financial literacy to classroom and we are actively looking for opportunities to expand these programs to other schools and school districts.
We truly value the collaborative relationships we have developed in the cities we serve. We are working towards expanding the work we currently do in Downey to include organizations, schools, churches, etc. in our new field of membership. Thank you to our members for assisting us in our mission to support the community!
If you are interested in partnering with DFCU please contact our Community Engagement Specialist, Jazlyn Acebal, at jacebal@downeyfcu.org.