Kauai Federal Credit Union on LinkedIn: #peopleoverprofit #cdfi #creditunion #kauai (2024)

We celebrate International Women’s Day by celebrating this rad wāhine: a fifth generation Rancher’s Daughter from Kaua`i. “When you decide to continue your family legacy,” says Sharlene Andrade, “you get this sense of peace and pride. I’m not searching anymore. This is where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing.” We celebrate Shar along along with the amazing and diverse group of women that make up our team, our fearless leader Monica Belz and countless women in our community who raise the bar everyday as mothers and daughters and partners and entrepreneurs and creatives and all around Sheroes 🌟 #internationalwomensday2024 #GWLN World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) https://lnkd.in/ghHXFKwp

15

Years in the making and a labor of love. On October 21, 2023, close to 2000 volunteers gathered to restore the more than 600-year old Alakoko fishpond wall on Kauaʻi, realizing a vision to recreate a free flowing healthy and productive river ecosystem. The conservation effort of Mālama Hulēʻia and the restoration of the rock wall is an inspiring story of regeneration in the present day, mobilizing the power of the community to rebuild a national wildlife refuge, honoring practices that created abundance on Kauaʻi for generations.Rebuilding the rock wall connects past to present to future. It teaches us to learn all that we can, and then practice this knowledge, with the renewed biodiversity of the fishpond as our example. In the same way, we can rebuild the economic foundation established by our ancestors and use their knowledge to do the work that will create abundance for future generations. We apply the same learning to our restoration of the Otsuka building and the construction of a center for economic resilience in Kapaʻa. Our purpose is to steward a cooperative economy that honors culture, climate and community.In this this work, we are students and servant leaders. We are not only building walls. We are building community bonds that nurture our understanding of the ‘āina and our collective capability as a people. The historic effort of Malama Hulēʻia and close to 2000 volunteers on a single day gifts us with the example of a cooperative economy that works in harmony with nature: a north star for our future. Mahalo, MALAMA HULEIA #northstar #servantleadership #regeneration #kauai

20

How do we create the conditions to enable local genius of place to emerge and thrive? Senior Fellow, New America and Cofounder of the Francesco Collaborative Elizabeth Garlow brought her energy, passion and commitment to this question on a visit to Kauai to talk about the structural transformations needed to build an economy rooted in wellbeing. One of the great joys of our resilience journey is meeting friends, partners and allies near and far as we mobilize support for a regenerative economic shift on Kauai. All of us connected in a common mission. Elizabeth Garlow New America Strong Cities Network Michigan Corps

6

A Living Story is a conversation with a place and its people, understanding what the land wants to do, what it will permit us to do, and what it will support us in doing. Our plan for building resilience on Kauaʻi is emerging at a time of unprecedented climate change and socio-economic challenges. In resilience literature, such challenges are called “wicked problems.” We set out with biomimicry expert Jamie Miller to connect with nature and the people who best understand this land. As Jamie observed in a series of conversations over three days on Kauaʻi, knowing how to live with this land is not lost. Native Hawaiians, who lived here for nearly 2000 years, learned about resiliency out of necessity. On the most remote island archipelago on earth, they were forced to dance with nature. And they learned to let nature lead. This connection to history is what makes our ancestral economy such an important model for the world. The solutions are already here. The indigenous perspective is rich and is in practice. Organizations such as Limahuli Gardens, Hanalei Initiative, Wāipa Foundation and Mālama Hulēʻia are brilliant examples of how to live in a place. How to build abundance and resilience.Their principles and practices are guideposts for how to move forward as we open the doors at Kalukalu at 1624 and steward an economy that honors culture, community and climate. Even though the collective wisdom of generations has been significantly impacted by importation, invasive species and euro-American ideals and pressures, the lessons of the past are not lost. The challenge is to create a pathway for reconnecting to these practices and ways of thinking in a new context, with new challenges, to build resilience once again. Join us on the journey.https://lnkd.in/gMNSZUxGB+H Architects Waiwai Collective Mason Chock Monica Belz Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL)

13

Kauaʻi Federal Credit Union today announced Kalukalu at 1624 as the name for an economic resilience center at 1624 Kuhio Highway in Kapaʻa, heralding a new era in community-based banking.The announcement follows Kauaʻi Federal Credit Union’s purchase of the former Otsuka Furniture store in October 2022 and its conversion to an economic resilience center (ERC), mobilizing action on island priorities such as affordable housing, small business innovation, climate change mitigation and non-profit capacity building. A prized native grass endemic to Hawaiʻi, Kalukalu represents excellence in the care of the ʻāina and its people, and symbolizes the credit union’s intention to return Kauaʻi to an era of abundance, in harmony with nature. Characteristically a soft, flexible grass sought for protection and comfort, Kalukalu is stronger when interwoven as a mat. Thought to be nearly extinct, its revitalization as a symbol of resilience bridges past to present and signifies an abiding love for the natural environment. Kalukalu at 1624 invites a confluence of ideas, perspectives and resources to a pioneering cooperative space, grounding a shared intention to return to a thriving past. Pop-up branch services in Kapaʻa will commence February 15th on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 9 am - 3 pm, or by appointment, as part of a phased opening to learn, grow with and adapt to the needs of the community. The credit union is currently negotiating leases with four initial tenant partners as interior and exterior renovations progress. “Our purpose is to steward a cooperative economy that honors culture, community and climate,” says CEO Monica Belz. The Beta Phase design is agile and considers the needs of members, partners, and policies to address climate change and a growing wealth gap that is driving Kauaʻi residents away from their homes and cultural heritage. The project engaged cultural advisors Mason Chock (Kupu aʻe Leadership Development Kauaʻi) and Mahina Paishon Duarte (WaiWai Collective) and biomimicry expert Jamie Miller of B+H Architects to guide the Kauaʻi FCU Board and leadership team in a year of discovery, identifying challenges and opportunities for building resilience. Belz says it is not too hard or too late. Kauaʻi FCUʻs mission as a community development credit union supports the vision of a circular economy. In Hawaiʻi, Europe and elsewhere, the concept of a circular or “Doughnut Economy” is gaining traction as the compass for prosperity. Local examples such as Hanalei Initiative, Mālama Hulēʻia, Wāipa Foundation and Kauaʻi Independent Utility Cooperative underscore its potential for success.“We know the solutions are here,” says Belz. “We are dusting off the wisdom of the past and rethinking resilience in a new context, with new challenges. The capital we leverage, in partnership with others, will catalyze broad-based solutions that a single organization, lender or investor cannot solve.”

55

This past month, we were honored to welcome NCUA Chairman Todd Harper and NCUA Chief of Staff Catherine Galicia to Kaua’i: reminding us who we are, who we serve and how far we’ve come in the past five years. Sitting with Mr. Harper and Ms. Galicia in Kapa’a, the home of our future branch and economic resilience center, represents an important milestone. The NCUA is an institution vital to the growth and success of credit unions, and the agency that protects members and their deposits. When Kauaʻi was hit with historic flooding in 2018, our team went door to door: a mobile credit union with a dry pack on a jet ski. To this day, we are remembered for our role as financial first responders on the North Shore. We can be this for others, says Community Innovation Manager Ivory Lloyd, because we are this for each other. Kauaʻi is our community and Kauaʻi people are our people. We show up.In 2021, Chairman Harper was instrumental in the U.S Treasuryʻs adoption of the Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP), created to encourage low-and moderate-income community financial institutions to support small businesses and consumers in their communities. Under this program, up to $9 billion in capital is directed to depository institutions that are certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) or minority depository institutions (MDIs) like our own, disproportionately impacted by the 2018 floods and the economic effects of the pandemic.Our resilience journey has led us to a bold initiative to build a better future. We are building not just a branch but an ‘āina based economic model. Our purpose is to steward a cooperative economy that honors culture, community and climate. As servant leaders we are listening and learning to determine how we can best serve the community in and through this landmark space, shaping an ecosystem that fills the page for the most vulnerable. Minority Deposit Institutions and Community Development Financial Institutions like our own are uniquely designed to advance economic equality, generating returns that are just as good as billion-dollar institutions. Our time with Chairman Harper reassures us that we are not alone. His model of leadership, friendship and service mirrors our commitment to building for future generations. “It is my hope,” he said, “that we see more credit unions doing work like this, that can touch communities in ways other types of financial institutions can’t.” Mahalo, Chairman Harper. A hui ho. Aloha nō.#credituniondifference

115

3 Comments

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur with a concept you can’t wait to market or scale in Hawai’i? Looking for a support system? The Patsy T Mink Leadership Alliance, our district U.S. Small Business Administration and local YWCA USA Y Wahine Business Program hosted their first Kaua'i event at our new space in Kapa'a for local entrepreneurs: the first of many events that will be hosted by our community, for our community, in this space! Be in touch with us and follow along to keep up to date on upcoming events. #womeninbusiness #entrepreneurship Photos by @in_hawaii_photos

15

Our Community Impact Director Hazelmae Overturf spoke to Credit Union National Association about building resilience on Kauaʻi and the credit union legacy of coming together to take care of the greater community.Hereʻs the full story:https://lnkd.in/eaWbKqJp

155

8 Comments

New Year, New Branch!Our story as a CDFI credit union in Kapaʻa is just beginning, as we launch the Beta phase of a new era of community based banking on Kauaʻi. You will see visible evidence of the change at 1624 Kuhio Highway as we transform the historic Otsuka Furniture building into an economic resilience center and extend pop up branch services in the near future.Kapaʻa has reinvented itself many times over. It has literally risen up from the ashes from the days of the legendary chief Mōʻīkeha as a religious center, fishing village and loi kalo, supporting the production of rice, sugar, pineapple, and the rise of tourism. As a multicultural commons, it has served as the residential heart of Kauaʻi and welcomes all no matter what their social status. As we think and talk about what we value and how we model a less extractive, more regenerative economy, it is befitting that we have a presence in the heart of where our people live, work and play. We canʻt wait to welcome you into the space. Stay tuned! Dates and details are forthcoming! #CDFI #creditunion #community #cooperative

74

1 Comment