Northeast Community Credit Union recently held a ribbon cutting for the new Unaka Branch, a student-run branch located inside Unaka High School.

The Unaka Branch offers an innovative education experience for UHS students. The in-school branch is designed to familiarize students with the proper way to handle money and to provide hands-on learning experiences.

In honor of the ribbon cutting, several of Carter County’s legislators and local politicians visited the school to see the branch in action. U.S. Representative Phil Roe, State Representative John Holsclaw, Carter County commissioners and Carter County school board members all attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Representative Phil Roe praised the initiative for providing students with invaluable hands-on education experiences. Roe told the students this type of education was extremely important to help them safeguard their finances as they grew older and continued their education.

“Student loan debt is at an all-time high,” Roe said.

He continued that student loans are easier to get, but that it didn’t mean students should get them. He encouraged students to explore other options, like scholarships and grants instead of going hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt.

“Some young people have not been able to purchase their first home because they have gotten so deeply in debt with student loans,” Roe said. “Learn to make smart money decisions now and it will benefit you in the future.”

The branch is the first of its kind in Carter County. The Unaka Branch is open two days a week, for two hours at a time to give students the opportunity to take part in unique experiential learning programs.

NCCU President/CEO Teresa Arnold said the opening of the UHS Branch was a group effort involving the Carter County School System, the NCCU Board of Directors and NCCU staff.

“When we presented this idea to the school system, Director Dr. Kevin Ward was immediately interested,” Arnold said. “He said this was something the school system could greatly benefit from and he took it to the school board. They agreed, and we kept moving forward from there. We are so excited to give this opportunity to the students.”

The students will learn to conduct financial transactions and will take park in various campaigns led by NCCU personnel. The lessons are planned to coincide with classroom lesson plans so the students will gain double instruction time on key personal finance topics. Students are learning first-hand about business, customer service skills, the American economic system, personal finance and more.

Students are selected to work in the branch through an “interview” process which includes feedback to help students be better prepared for future job interviews. Students earn community service credits required for scholarships and gain beneficial skills that will help them in the workplace later in their lives.

Northeast Community Credit Union is a sponsor for the Downtown Art Walk hosted by Blue River Studio in downtown Elizabethton.

The Downtown Art Walk was started by Blue River Studio with the goal of bringing more people and business to the downtown shopping district. The Art Walk puts artists in the downtown businesses and features musicians on the sidewalks. Children’s activities are sprinkled through downtown along with food trucks, and several downtown business stay open late for the event.

“When we started the art walk, everyone said what a great time they had,” Art Walk Organizer Karen Hitchcock said. “We do two walks a year and it has grown every time.”

This is the fourth Downtown Art Walk and it will be held on Saturday, March 30. For more information on the Downtown Art Walk, call 585-406-3255.

Northeast Community Credit Union recently hosted a special meet and greet with State Representative Timothy Hill at its Roan Mountain office.

Hill represents the 3rd House District in the Tennessee General Assembly, which includes Johnson County, portions of Carter County, and some areas of Sullivan County – all of which fall in the NCCU service area.

While speaking with those at the meet and greet, Hill shared stories from his youth, including memorable trips with his grandfather to a credit union, where he opened his first account.

“When you bank with a credit union, you are investing back into your community,” Hill said.

Hill said he appreciates the work credit unions do in their local communities and hopes to be able to help them with those efforts in Nashville.

Northeast Community Credit Union donated $100 to Grow Carter County to help support the newly dedicated Storybook Trail.

The Storybook Trail covers a quarter-mile down the Tweetsie Trail in Elizabethton near Harold McCormick Elementary and features 10 trail markers for walkers to explore. Each marker features a different page from a book, and visitors must stop at each marker to complete the tale.

Grow Carter County Chairman Josh McKinney says the trail will allow kids and they family to explore the outdoors while taking in reading opportunities at each of the markers.

“We hope this addition will help make the trail an even greater asset in increasing the community’s health and happiness,” McKinney said.

Northeast Community Credit Union is helping sponsor the TLC Community Center’s Christmas Bundles of Love program.

NCCU donated 1,000 bags to the TLC Community Center to use for the program and will be providing volunteers for the distribution of the gifts. NCCU will also serve as a drop-off location for items for the Bundles of Love.

“Our primary mission is to help improve the lives of our neighbors, financially or otherwise,” NCCU President/CEO Teresa Arnold said. “There are needs here and we are pleased to be given the opportunity to work with TLC Community Center to help meet those needs.”

The Bundles of Love program collects items for children in need in the local community; such as hygiene items, school supplies, personal items and small toys. The bundles are distributed based on referrals from local schools and to clients who participate in the TLC Summer Food program.

“There are so many families missing basic essentials here in our community,” TLC Director Angie Odom said. “This is about meeting the needs in our hometown.”

NCCU’s Main Office (behind Elizabethton High School) and their Roan Mountain Office will be accepting items for the Bundles of Love, which include shampoo, toothpaste, individually packaged toothbrushes, dental floss, deodorant, soaps, combs, body wash, washcloths, pencils, erasers, notebooks, crayons, socks, gloves, hats, mittens, small toys and other similar items.

The Bundles of Love will be distributed in December to boys and girls aged from toddler to teenager.

Items for the Bundles of Love can be dropped off at either the NCCU Main Office at 980 Jason Witten Way, Elizabethton, or at the NCCU Roan Mountain office at 8301 Highway 19E, in Roan Mountain.