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Small business is important to Central Oregon, and to Mid Oregon. Find tips and resources for business, and information about Mid Oregon’s commercial services and business members.
59th birthday of Mid Oregon Credit Union!
59 Years Ago in Crook County
Today marks the 59th birthday of Mid Oregon Credit Union. Eight educational visionaries in Prineville signed our Organization Certificate on November 8th, 1957. That day the credit union had $40 in assets, eight members and zero employees. Two weeks later the certificate was approved by the Bureau of Federal Credit Unions and, as they say, the rest is history.
Mid Oregon Credit Union “Born” 59 Years Ago Today!
From the original credit union “office” in a home in Prineville, we are headquartered in Bend. We have grown to six offices across Central Oregon, and as of the 59th birthday of Mid Oregon Credit Union, we continue to expand and provide exceptional service. We’ve grown to assets worth over $240 million, while developing new and innovative product offerings that provides our members with financial tools necessary for their success.
Originally to Serve Educators in Central Oregon
Originally chartered in 1957 as “Tri-County Teachers Federal Credit Union”, the first field of membership included “Employees of the Public Schools who work in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties, Oregon; Employees of this credit union; members of their immediate families; and organizations of such persons.”
Expanded Field of Membership
Today, as Mid Oregon Credit Union, our field of membership includes more Central Oregon residents, but serves the same purpose. Bill Anderson, our President and CEO, said it well at the time of our 50th Anniversary in 2007:
“Mid Oregon was formed as a cooperative in 1957 to provide financial services for teachers who were underserved by mainstream financial institutions. As a result of a few teachers who banded together to help each other, today the Credit Union is available for all those who live, work, worship or go to school in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook, (Now including Wheeler, Lake and North Klamath) counties. The vision and spirit of that small group is still alive today.”
People Helping People through Holiday Dough
*** Our collection period has been extended through Friday, December 16th, to allow more people to contribute to our local charity efforts!
Mid Oregon Credit Union members and employees are facilitating a real difference in the Central Oregon communities by supporting local charities with our Holiday Dough Fund. Financial contributions will help provide food, clothing and shelter for individuals and families as well as toys for kids. The generosity of each individual contribution joined together with the strength of Mid Oregon’s members will make a significant impact.
From now until December 12, 2016, we will be collecting cash donations. All contributions will stay in the community in which they are collected and 100% of the donations will be given to the following organizations(Click on the names to read more details):
Bend Family Kitchen, providing meals to those in need in a safe and caring environment
La Pine Christmas Basket Association, providing food during the Christmas holiday for people in the South Deschutes County area
Redmond Jericho Road, providing shelter, food and clothing to those in need within the Redmond area
Madras – Jefferson County Food Bank, supplying food to families and individuals
Prineville – Crook County Holiday Partnership providing holiday support to seniors, children and families in need in Crook County
Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank – giving food vouchers and toys for families and kids, and pet food
Giving back to the community is a core value of Mid Oregon Credit Union and aligns with our credit union philosophy of “people helping people”. To make donations call 541-382-1795 or go to www.midoregon.com for a branch location near you.
Organization Details
Bend Family Kitchen:
Guided by the belief that nobody should be hungry, the Family Kitchen has been providing free meals to anyone who is hungry for the past 30 years. Our mission is “To serve anyone who needs a nutritious meal in a safe and caring environment”. Our patrons are treated with respect and are asked nothing but to leave with a full stomach.
Facebook Page | Website
La Pine Christmas Basket Association:
We are a non profit, purpose driven organization dedicated to feed those in need during the Christmas season. Distribution day is December 18, 2016. We serve over 650 families that are in need. The La Pine Christmas Basket Association has been in existence since 1990 and is a community based, non-profit organization.
Jericho Road
The mission of Jericho Road is to provide tangible support to the homeless and those in need within the Redmond area. This includes providing transitional housing and mentoring to homeless families as well as providing meals for those in need within our community.
Jefferson County Food Bank
We serve many households each week and average over 65 per week on an annual basis. However with winter here and seasonal work coming to an end in our community participating households increase dramatically. We absolutely depend on the generosity of groups and individuals who donate food, monies, and time to support our efforts to feed the needy. Your gifts enable us to purchase those foods that otherwise, our clients might have to do without in these trying economic times.
Crook County Holiday Partnership
Providing holiday support to seniors, children and families in need in Crook County. 100% of funds are used for gifts and food – we are an all-volunteer partnership. Last year over 2,400 individuals were served by the collaborative efforts of the Holiday Partnership. This included 933 youth and 284 senior and disabled, of which 68 were Veterans. Over 820 food boxes were distributed. This is a true testimony to how Crook County citizens step up when their neighbors are in need.
Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank
Sisters Kiwanis runs a program called The Spirit of Christmas Foodshare and Gifts. Food, gifts and pet food are available to low-income families, seniors and singles through a coordination of organizations, churches and agencies in the community.In 2015, they provided vouchers to 169 families comprising 512 people. The total amount of the vouchers was $16,500. The fire department toy drive brightened the Christmas of approximately 160 Sisters kids.
November 2016 Mid Oregon President’s Message- Paddling Under the Water
Picture a duck swimming across a pond; it glides across the water effortlessly. Under water, however, its feet are paddling like mad. Somewhat like a duck, we have been working like mad making tremendous changes within the credit union. I’m proud to say that while big changes are often stressful, our staff has weathered the storm with good attitudes keeping member service the priority. In this November 2016 Mid Oregon President’s Message, I’ll share a little about those changes.
La Pine and Sisters Branches
In June, we held the grand opening of our long awaited La Pine Branch. Over 800 people from the community attended the celebration providing a very warm welcome. Since then, the La Pine staff has opened over 400 new accounts for savings, checking and loans.
We are in the process of opening a branch in Sisters as soon as some remodeling and staff training is completed. Mid November is the expected timing.
New Admin Building and Staff Relocations
In addition to the two new branches, literally all non-branch employees have been on the move. We purchased and are completing a remodel of an administrative headquarters building at the corner of 18th and Empire in Bend. This office houses our controller, accounting department, card services, training, marketing, compliance staff, operations, membership development, admin, HR, sales managers, and the executive team. Loan underwriting and mortgage departments are now at the Olney office while the contact center, collections, Commercial Services, IT, and Mid Oregon Wealth Management all have new offices at East Bend.
All of this is nearing completion and as I have said, hopefully with little or no impact on the high level of service we have provided you. Demand for service from the Credit Union is growing fast. Thank you for your patience as we do our best to keep paddling.
Bill Anderson
Mid Oregon Credit Union President and CEO