MEMBER PROFILE
Thom Trause Ithaca Soy
Thom Trause, owner of Ithaca Soy, took advantage of the SBA Express Loan when he decided to buy out his partner and become sole owner of this local business. "It made sense for me to turn to Alternatives," Thom says of his choice, "because they aren't the starchy-shirt kind of people I usually find at financial institutions. The people at Alternatives were so helpful. I credit Alternatives for my ability to buy, relocate and run my business with no lapse in production at all. I can't imagine any other place that would have helped me the way Alternatives did. I guess I could say that because of my experience, I'll be back for any business needs I have in the future."
Credit Path Seminar
Credit Path® Seminar for
Community Development Practitioners
Alternatives Federal Credit Union recently completed its fifth Credit
Path® Seminar for Community Development practitioners.
The Credit Path® was
originally developed as a way of understanding our members’ financial situations,
to enable Alternatives to incorporate the needs of our low income members into
our business planning. The Credit
Path describes where people are situated at various points along a continuum
between poverty and self-sufficiency. Our job, as a community development financial
institution, is to help our members move along that continuum by empowering
them to make decisions, and offering opportunities, that will move them towards
financial self-sufficiency.
We create a two-day forum to share our work with our peers. The agenda
includes an overview of Alternatives' strategic approach, organizational structure,
and program development. Break out sessions will allow participants to study
programs that most interest them. The seminar concludes with a tour of the community
that will give participants the chance to meet Alternatives’ members and see
how our work translates into action.
This two day seminar will be held annually at Alternatives Federal Credit Union in Ithaca,
New York. Visit this webpage again for details and registration information for the 2008
Credit Path Seminar.
- Consumer,
Business, Mortgage and Community Lending.
- Financial
Literacy educational programs
- Individual
Development Accounts
- Microenterprise
training
- Retail
Member Services
- Youth
Credit Union
- Volunteer
Free Tax Preparation Program
- Fundraising
The seminar includes a tour of the community that gives participants the
chance to meet Alternatives’ members and see how our work translates into
action. Small group discussions will allow each participant to delve deeper
into a topic of choice.