Racial Issues Gripping the Nation: NorthCountry's Response

BLACK LIVES MATTER

We know many people in our community and in communities across the country are hurting. Our mission statement at NorthCountry includes “make dreams come true for all” which reminds us that the credit union has a role to actively promote equality among minorities and marginalized communities.  As a cooperative, our success is tied to the success of our members - all members. Credit unions were founded in the United States over 90 years ago to promote financial inclusion and to provide people with limited means the opportunity to achieve a common goal, financial security.  ​

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Providing opportunities to our existing and future members is how NorthCountry can meaningfully make our community a better place. One free from discrimination and historical injustices. This is even more essential in the current pandemic where we know the economic effects are being most strongly felt by the most economically vulnerable which disproportionately, but not exclusively, consists of minority and marginalized populations. 
  
Historically, while we provide grants to non-profit organizations serving these communities including Champlain Housing Trust, The Greater Burlington Y, Mercy Connections and others, we have a responsibility to do more so that we can truly reflect our core values of Caring, Confident and Creative.
  
To be clear, we condemn acts of racism and we are committed to a fair financial system with opportunities for economic security. To further our commitments to providing opportunity, we will accelerate development of products in our pipeline that serve marginalized communities.  We will examine our employment recruitment practices to thoughtfully consider what else we can do to provide opportunities to minorities for employment at NorthCountry. We are hopeful for our future and will continue to strive each day to make our communities better.