The Bottom Line
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.
Largest Supplies 4 Schools Donation Ever in 2019!
Single donor tops her previous year’s effort, contributes 190+ loaded backpacks for local students.
Just when we thought we’d seen our largest Supplies 4 Schools Donation ever in 2018, Mid Oregon Credit Union kicked off our annual Supplies 4 Schools 2019 supply drive with yet another record donation from a Redmond resident. This member stuffed 190+ backpacks with school supplies ready for local students.
Planning For Supplies 4 Schools Donation Success
The donor, Vikki Olds of Redmond, topped her previous year’s contribution of 140 backpacks by a significant margin. She said that she planned ahead and ordered many of the supplies earlier in the year to get maximum benefit from her investment. Her husband, daughter, son-in-law and a group of family friends worked several weekends in a row to organize and assemble the backpacks.
In 2018, Olds and her family drove a trailer to the Redmond Mid Oregon branch to deliver the bounty. This year, Mid Oregon came to her—bringing the credit union’s classic blue 70s-era Chevy van to her front door to load up the enormous donation.
“Vikki is one of those amazing people who acts from her heart and makes big things happen,” says Marketing VP Kyle Frick. “Our Supplies 4 Schools Donation drive allows all our members to contribute to help kids have what they need for school, and Vikki takes it to a whole new level.”
Partnering with the Family Access Network
The Supplies 4 Schools fundraiser and supply drive is underway during the month of August at all seven locations within Mid Oregon Credit Union’s service area. All donations of cash and supplies stay in the community where they are collected. In most communities, Mid Oregon partners with Family Access Network or the school districts to distribute the supplies to students in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson Counties who may lack the basic necessities to be successful at school.
“We are so appreciative of the compassion and generosity of community members like Vikki during Supplies 4 Schools,” says Deborah Peterson, Donor Relations and Events Coordinator for Family Access Network. “FAN is grateful for the many years of partnership we’ve had with the team and members at Mid Oregon. Their contributions, big and small, give local kids what they need to stay in school, ready and able to learn.”
Large Supplies 4 Schools Donation for All of Central Oregon
Although Olds is a Redmond resident, she requested that her Supplies 4 Schools Donation be distributed throughout Central Oregon. She wants to ensure that students with the greatest need have what they need to start the school year, regardless of where they live.
“I researched the statistics on food insecurity in our local area, and it showed kids in every part of Central Oregon could use the help,” Olds says. “I just want to see that the supplies go to students who’ll benefit the most.”
Donations of school supplies or cash may be taken to any of the seven Mid Oregon branches in Central Oregon. Monetary donations are especially helpful, as specific supplies can be purchased to meet the immediate needs for the students.
7 Ways to Protect Your Credit Score
7 Ways to Protect Your Credit Score
When you swipe your credit card, you might not be thinking about what your creditors are doing to make sure they recover the money they just loaned you. But, as you make your next purchase, make sure to protect your credit score.
Your credit score is a three-digit number that creditors use to assess how likely you are to repay your loans. A high score can help you qualify for the lowest interest rates and gives you the ability to borrow money for purchases.
Here are seven things you can do to make sure your credit score stays healthy:
Good Habits
1. Pay back your debts on time. How you’ve repaid past debt is the most important factor (35%) in calculating your credit score.
2. Apply for new credit only when you need it. Ten percent of your credit score is determined by how many new credit accounts you’ve opened and the number of times lenders have checked your credit. Another 15% of your score is determined by the length of your credit history. When you add a new account into the mix, the average age of your credit accounts drops.
Co-Signing is Risky
3. Don’t co-sign. Be cautious about co-signing a loan–even for family members–unless you are willing and able to take on the payments later if necessary. If a payment is missed and you don’t pay it, it can negatively affect your credit score;
Make a photocopy or scan the information on your cards. It could take a long time to find contact information for your accounts if you lose your wallet. Keep copies (in a secure place) of the fronts and backs of cards so that you can cancel your accounts quickly when needed.
4. Consider keeping starter cards open. Cards designed for people without a credit history, called starter cards, usually have high interest rates and fees, low limits and few rewards. Even though you’ve stopped using them, it’s a good idea to keep them open. This will help the 15% of your score that comes from the length of your credit history. It also will help the even bigger part (30%) of your score that’s based on your utilization ratio: your credit card debt relative to your total available credit;
5. Guard your personal information. Be very careful when giving out your Social Security number, birth date, credit card numbers and other personal information. Use secure websites, and be cautious on phone calls. Don’t leave paperwork with this information on it lying around–shred it; and
Keep Your Eye on Your Accounts
6. Regularly monitor all your accounts. Even if you don’t use them, check each account to make sure there aren’t charges, such as annual fees, and that no one is fraudulently using your card. Order a free credit report from annualcreditreport.com, the only site sanctioned by the Federal Trade Commission, or, call 877-322-8228. Stagger your reports from the three reporting agencies so that you get one report every four months.
7. Stay diligent. Make sure that the good credit score you’ve worked so hard to build stays that way.
Card Nav is a Great Tool!
Mid Oregon has tools to help you guard your credit. CardNav lets you control your debit cards, monitor their use and fight theft of your information. Mid Oregon periodically offers free community workshops addressing online safety and ID theft (Next: Sep. 18, Parenting in a Digital World).
Contact us via email beheard@midoregon.com, phone (541) 382-1795 or visit one of our 7 Central Oregon branches.
Payment Card Safety During Summer Travel
From the July 3, 2017 Stickley on Security article “Gear Up For Summer Travel; But Don’t Forget About Payment Card Safety While You’re Gone”.
View the Mid Oregon Fraud & Security Center, featuring Stickley on Security.
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Gear Up For Summer Travel; But Don’t Forget About Payment Card Safety While You’re Gone
When preparing for your summer travel, whether a fun-filled road trip across the vast and varied landscape of the United States, to welcoming South America, the old country in Europe, or anywhere else in the world, keep a few tips in mind when using payment cards. You can have payment card safety during summer travel.
Prepare Before You Leave
- Contact your payment card company before leaving and let them know you’re headed on a trip. Provide them your travel dates and countries you intend to visit, if headed out of the US. Because of the high number of credit card numbers stolen in this country, many of them will deny any charges that don’t fit within your “normal” charging profile. If they know your travel dates and destinations, they can authorize it for those dates and destinations only. Sometimes you can set up a travel profile online with your financial institution.
View Mid Oregon Credit Union’s travel notification for debit/credit cards.
- Check the credit limit for each card you take with you. If going to another country, the exchange rate differences may cause you to overcharge on your cards.
Carry Cards Safely
- Consider taking only one or two payment cards to lower the risk of all of them being stolen if your wallet or purse is stolen.
- Carry your cards and identification documents safely. Put wallets in front pockets and carry bags and purses in front of you, across your body. Money belts are another option. Backpacks are easy targets for pickpockets. If you carry one, carry it in front of you.
- Make copies of both sides of your cards and keep them separated from your actual cards and hidden as much as possible. This will make it easier to replace and report to local authorities and the Embassy.
Have Contact Phone Numbers
- Make sure you have the international phone numbers for your payment card issuing institutions before you leave the United States and stashed where you can get to them quickly. While you’re getting those, jot down phone numbers for the local police in your destinations and the nearest US Embassies just in case you need to report theft, should you be headed overseas.
Review Your Card Accounts While Traveling
- Check your card accounts as often as you can while traveling to make sure there are no unauthorized charges. This is easy to forget when vacationing. If there are suspicious charges, contact the issuing institution immediately. Often just a few minutes on the phone will resolve it and you can go back to the fun.
- If abroad and you find your payment or identification card missing, immediately report it to the card issuer, the local police, and the US Embassy. When you get home, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit to report the stolen cards. Also file a report using the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit, Form 14039. This is to mitigate any potential identity theft effects.
As always, never leave your cards unattended and cover your PIN numbers when entering them into keypads. Take a quick look at the ATMs as well to ensure there are no card skimmers attached to them. When traveling, these may be easy to miss because the machines are not familiar. A quick glance will prevent your card information from going to a cybercriminal while on your trip.