April is National Credit Union Youth Month!

Horizon Community Credit Union invites our young members to join us as we celebrate National Credit Union Youth Month! The theme this year is getting WILD about saving! Stop by this April to take a look at all the cool things we've prepared for our younger members! You and your children can visit either of our two locations to take a photo in our Safari Photo Booth where we supply fun props for them and a camera to take a photo. And afterwards we hang them up in our lobby and you get a copy to take home with you! Kids 12 years old and under that make any deposit to their account of $5 or more are able to pick a toy from our treasure chest and afterwards, if they haven’t received one yet, will receive a coloring sheet which they can color in and enter it to our coloring contest. The winner receives a prize package that includes a $25 Toys R Us gift card! HCCU is also participating in the National Youth Savings Challenge where any kids up to the age of 18 who make a deposit into their account here at HCCU will be entered to win a $100 cash prize!

Is your child not a member of HCCU yet? Well stop by with them and open up an account! They get a free piggy bank to get them started on saving at home and they don’t miss out on our fabulous services!

Post by: Karla C.

Your CU does a lot more than you might think!

Did you know that, in partnership with TruStage, HCCU now offers Children’s Whole Life Insurance,  providing parents or grandparents with an opportunity to protect the children they love for coverage amounts of up to $50,000?  Children's Whole Life coverage provides lifelong protection options for children at childhood rates, and features a guaranteed insurability rider which gives the child the opportunity to add additional coverage once they reach adulthood.  Or maybe you don't have any kiddos in your life, but you want to purchase insurance for yourself.  TruStage also recently launched an Essential Whole Life product, with affordable coverage options up to $250,000.  TruStage Essential Whole Life helps our members better protect their families’ financial security.  

And we know you've been hearing about health insurance a lot lately!  If you're currently without insurance, HCCU & TruStage have options for that as well!  With less than two months left in the open enrollment period, there’s still time to enroll in TruStage Health Insurance. There is a really easy-to-use online application and it is backed by TruStage's expert guidance via phone.

TruStage is an insurance partner that brings valuable services to our HCCU members.  TruStage offers investment services, home, auto and life insurance, as well as many other great products!    Take full advantage of your credit union membership and all the added perks that come along with it!  For full details or to apply for coverage, visit http://horizonccu.com/general.php and click on the TruStage banner.  

The Perfect Gift

Photo Courtesy of digitalart at freedigitalphotos.net

Paper or Plastic?   Replace those paper gift certificates with plastic VISA® gift cards today!  Gift cards are the perfect gift for any occasion or time of the year … birthdays, graduations, showers, weddings, and all holidays.  Buying a gift card is easy and requires very little thought or time.  Shopping for gifts can be a real dilemma.  Just what do you get your significant other, your child, or your co-worker?  Gift cards may be the answer: one size fits all, and the receivers can get exactly what they want.  Our prepaid VISA® cards range from $10 to $500 and can be purchased for $2.50 at both Horizon locations.  So come in today & pick up that perfect gift!  

Post by: Beth B

My CU Staff Wears Jeans to Work!

If you stop in either of our branches today, you will see members of the HCCU staff wearing jeans.  It might seem strange to see everyone dressed so casually, but we promise there's a good reason for it!  So why the jeans?

Today is Miracle Jeans Day - a fundraising day for Children's Miracle Network!  Each employee who wears jeans makes a $5 donation to Children's Miracle Network.  These donations are sent to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to help children and families in our area who are facing life-threatening illnesses!  By wearing jeans today, we are helping to continue the tradition of excellent care that our local Children's Hospital provides.  Did you know that in the US News and World Report's 2014-2015 ranking of best hospitals, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin was recognized in all 10 pediatric specialty areas?  That means that some of the best care in the country is right in our backyard, and at HCCU we are proud to support the fabulous work they do.  That's why, a few days a year, Horizon Community Credit Union goes casual for kids!

TOOLS 4 SCHOOLS FUNDRAISER

What a success we had with the help of our members! Our goal was $500.00 dollars and we hit over $1000.00 in cash donations along with school supplies donated by our HCCU members and wonderful partners and peers that we are so lucky to work with.

Of course, we did have some extra motivation with getting to throw a pie in our boss's (Pat Josephson, Horizon's President/CEO) face for reaching our $500.00 dollar goal. Staff got so much pleasure from watching that. I am sure a lot of you out there would love the opportunity to pie him as well!  Thank you for giving us that experience, along with helping out our community.

Martin and Nicolet Elementary Schools here in Green Bay reaped the rewards of your generosity this year; they were over-the-top grateful for all the wonderful supplies that we were able to purchase and donate with all your help.

Thank you again for helping us crush our goal. We look forward to doing this very rewarding fundraiser again next year.

Along with the Tools 4 Schools, we had three of our staff members participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, what a great Month. Thank you to all who went ahead and completed your own ALS Challenge. What a great cause and a fun way to inform everyone of this debilitating disease. Check out our photos and videos of the Ice Bucket Challenge and pie-throwing on HCCU’s Facebook page!

Don’t forget to donate!

Post by: Katie B. and Lori S.

Getting Ready for College!

Getting ready to go off to college can be stressful enough…figuring out classes, setting up dorm rooms, finding roommates, etc.  Being financially secure and ready with your accounts is just another process that adds to the excitement of getting ready for college.  With that said, there are many ways at Horizon Community Credit Union that can help you with this process!

A student checking account with a debit card is a great item to have when going away to college.  There are plenty of ATMs around that allow you to take money out of your account without having to pay for an ATM fee.  This way you are able to take money out of your account hassle-free no matter where you are!  If you are unsure which ATMs are fee-free, check out the Horizon Community Credit Union ATM Alliance website for a complete list of all the participating free ATMs out there.

Another good thing to do before going to college is to enroll in e-statements and set up online banking. Having access to your account online helps you to manage and keep track of your money throughout the year...especially when you’re trying to figure out if you have enough money to buy that late night pizza once a week (trust me, we've all been there)!  Knowing how much money you have (or sometimes don't have, right?) can save you from getting costly overdraft charges too!

One last thing to consider that can be helpful when you head off to school is applying for a credit card with a low limit.  (Bonus: all of our cards earn Scorecard Rewards points!)  It’s always nice to have one on hand in case an emergency comes up.  Also, using your credit card here and there helps you build up your credit score.  Just make sure that if you do use it, you remember to make your payments on time and you don’t max it out!

Learning how to handle money before you’re out on your own is a step in the right direction of getting through college and being independent. These are all important steps that can help lead to setting up a student’s financial goals and eventually meeting them.  If you want more resources or information, don't hesitate to ask a member of our staff!

Post by: Lindsey L

Image courtesy of hywards at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Win a college scholarship through your credit union!

High school seniors and parents…now is the time to start thinking about which college you're going to choose and how you're going to pay for it.  We know college is REALLY expensive!  And let's be honest, most scholarship applications are long and tedious and NO fun.  Did you know you could win a college scholarship by playing a video game through your credit union’s website?

I’m talking about Money Mission. It is a fourteen week simulation of real life that is designed to help teach money management skills through a computer game. Basically, you play little mini-games and puzzles for “work”. Then you get paid and you can buy things like a car, stocks, and movie tickets. At the end of the fourteen weeks, you’ll have a final score of your success – and hopefully some helpful insight into the financial choices that will pop up in your near future.

Then, to enter to win the scholarship, high school seniors who are registered participants in the game can submit a 400-800 word essay about what they learned playing the game. The competition is open to participants throughout the country and the number and amounts of scholarships will be announced at the start of the fourteen week simulation.

Get ready and mark your calendars! The fall session of the game runs from September 2, 2014 – December 15, 2014. To check out the game, or for more information, visit the following page on our website http://www.horizonccu.com/kidsandteensdetail.php?SID=116.

Not a high school senior? No problem. Anyone over the age of 13 can play, but only seniors are eligible for the scholarship competition.

Post by: Erin S

Image courtesy of DEATH TO THE STOCK PHOTO

Snapshots from Green Bay Kids' Day 2014

Yesterday Horizon Community Credit Union participated in Kids Day at Leicht Park! Even though the weather was a little chilly, it was a successful event.  Alice and Katie worked our HCCU booth and had a blast seeing all the kids who stopped by! Kids drew pictures of what they would save their money for, and in turn they received a freeze pop. We also handed out goody bags and coloring books. It was great to see many of the kids from the community and to hear about their saving goals! Thank you to everyone who came out to visit us!

Summer Jobs

We all know how sad teenagers can be when school lets out for the summer. So instead of watching them lie in bed and sit on the couch for three months, why not encourage your youth to find a summer job? Having a job can teach young adults important values and skills that are important in the real world. It allows them to gain work experience which is very valuable on a resume. It gives them an opportunity to be responsible, and these traits can carry over at home and school. It also teaches them to be accountable with their money, as they will learn the value of it, and save up for things such as a vehicle or college!

Post by: Matt K

Start saving for that young one!

Whether it’s your grandkids, brothers or sisters, nieces or nephews, or your very own children, now is the time to save! Sure, we hear it all the time, save, save, save, blah blah blah! With the economy today, saving isn't ideal for most of us. BUT- it’s not impossible! If you start saving now until they turn 18, with our rate of 0.08% and a $50 deposit per month, that’s $10,928.49 saved! That’s less than $2 a day! Don’t have $50 EVERY month? THAT’S OKAY! Empty those pockets and put it in their HCCU piggy banks; we all know four quarters are worth more to kids than a $1 bill.  Bring the kids in to your credit union (yes, YOUR credit union) and open a youth savings account today and receive a HCCU piggy bank so they can watch their money grow!   

                                         Year           Balance

                1              $650.26

                2              $1,251.00

                3              $1,852.22

                4              $2,453.92

                5              $3,056.11

                6              $3,658.77

                7              $4,261.92

                8              $4,865.55

                9              $5,469.67

                10           $6,074.26

                11           $6,679.35

                12           $7,284.91

                13           $7,890.96

                14           $8,497.50

                15           $9,104.52

                16           $9,712.02

                17           $10,320.02

                18           $10,928.49

Final Savings Balance: $10,928.49

Post by: Kelly V

Kids' Day in Green Bay

Every year, on June 25th, Green Bay celebrates kids and the fun of being young. Mayor Jim Schmitt declared back in 2003 that every June 25th would be Kids' Day, since it’s exactly 6 months away from Christmas. There are plenty of events going on all days for kids and their parents to enjoy. Kids enjoy free things like bowling, lunch, movies, and rides at Bay Beach. This year Horizon Community Credit Union will be participating at the Mayor’s Luncheon from 11-2. The luncheon is located at Leicht Park, right next to Titletown Brewery. Stop by the Horizon Community Credit Union tent and see what goodies we’ll be giving out!

Mark your calendars and check out the website for places to get wristbands: http://greenbaywi.gov/parks/kidsday

Post by: Sara D