Washington Federal donates $25,000 to UMOM, $15,000 to Care Fund to Top Off Annual Giving; 2018 Local Donations Total Nearly $70,000
(PHOENIX – January 21, 2019) – Through its Washington Federal Foundation, the community grant program for Washington Federal, the bank’s 31 Arizona branches were able to donate $25,000 to UMOM New Day Centers and $15,000 to Care Fund, respectively, in recent weeks to cap off a year of successful local giving in the community.
The Washington Federal Foundation’s purpose is to facilitate direct giving to community-based nonprofits serving low- and moderate-income individuals’ needs. Throughout 2018, the local branches donated nearly $70,000 to organizations in need and have already opened the grant submission window for 2019. The goal is to donate in excess of $70,000 by year’s end.
Additional organizations benefiting from 2018 donations include: Youth on their Own,
Junior Achievement of Arizona, Habitat for Humanity, Pima Community Land Trust, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, Chicanos Por La Causa, Save the Family and more.
“After the passage of the 2017 federal tax reform legislation, Washington Federal announced a five year, $5-million, contribution to its foundation that supports nonprofits focused on housing, senior care and improving financial literacy. These enhanced donations are a direct reflection of that, and we intend to do the same this year,” says Mike Brown, Arizona regional president of Washington Federal.
In Arizona, beyond financial contributions, Washington Federal has partnered actively with leading technology provider EverFi on its Washington Federal Financial Scholars Program, a financial education curriculum designed to provide students with the critical skills needed to make sound financial decisions. The program, which launched at Metro Tech High School in Phoenix in 2013, provides schools with Everfi’s interactive, web-based financial management education tool at no cost to either the school itself or taxpayers.
“The web-based platform uses the latest in new media technology – simulations, avatars, gaming and adaptive-pathing – to bring complex financial concepts to life for today’s digital generation. The high school course offers nine units in a variety of financial topics including credit scores, insurance, credit cards, student loans, mortgages, taxes, stocks, savings, 401k’s and other critical concepts that map to national financial literacy standards,” said Brown. “The platform uniquely tracks the progress and performance of every student and provides students who successfully complete the course with the Certification in Financial Literacy diplomas, which we provided today to our graduates, a valuable mark of distinction on college applications and resumes.”
Since its inception at Metro Tech, the program has graduated more than 800 local students and grown to six other schools across Arizona as well as into sister states including Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Oregon and New Mexico. In total, the Washington Federal Financial Scholars Program has seen more than 8,300 students graduate over the past several years.
“We also have a program for younger children – called “Save at School’ – which is currently being offered at no cost to elementary and middle schools across Arizona, as well as a volunteer program in-house called ‘Washington Federal Focus on Arizona’ wherein we empower our team members to work together on community volunteerism and fundraising efforts together in their own backyards,” says Brown.
About Washington Federal
Washington Federal is a full-service national banking institution that focuses on business-to-business banking, commercial and equipment lending, as well as home loan and corporate real estate financing. It has 31 offices in Arizona including locations in Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Green Valley, Mesa, Yuma, Phoenix, Prescott Valley, Scottsdale, Sun City, Sun City West and Tucson. Washington Federal is committed to developing a strong and loyal relationship with clients, shareholders and the community at large. For more information please visit www.washingtonfederal.com.
