“Together, we serve and inspire to transform lives.”
Research shows us that the strength of our relationships makes our lives better, increases the quality of care we deliver, and even improves our financial health. The simple yet profound first word of our “why” – TOGETHER – makes a difference in our lives.
This is why the Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation takes great care to find those people serving their community who are committed to the relationships that they have with the children they serve.
Nancy Latourette is a 4th-grade teacher and Griselda Rufino is the parent liaison at Sterling Elementary School. Nancy and Griselda invited us to help support their coat drive this winter, and thanks to the help of Northwest members, we delivered coats to over 100 families this past December.
Nancy has been teaching for over 30 years and has not lost enthusiasm for helping the children in her school. “It’s the kids. Seeing their face struggling with something, then when they finally get it – the look on their face! I love seeing the happiness when the material finally clicks, and they get it.” Nancy’s goal is to get all of her students up to grade level in a school that has a large bilingual population. Nancy knows about “Why” statements – her favorite is from educator and author Jimmy Casas: “Every child. Every day. Whatever it takes.”
Griselda has been at Sterling Elementary for five years. “When I first started, getting parents involved in after-school programs was difficult. Slowly we built up our program, and now we have 12 after-school programs and counting – including the Shark Tank program Northwest Federal Credit Union will be doing for us this spring. I just can’t let the students down. We want our students to be active, and our parents notice that and are appreciative. The students then start to see that their parents are involved, and they let their guard down.”
Thanks to your support, the NWFCU Foundation can support the efforts of Nancy, Griselda, and other community champions who go by the “Every child. Every day. Whatever it takes” creed to helping our children succeed.
If you want to get involved by volunteering at the Shark Tank program or be a chaperone on the 4th grade field trip to Jamestown this spring, please contact Jose Martinez, Program Director, at jmartinez@nwfcu.org.
We invite you to find out more about the NWFCU Foundation or donate to support our work.
“Every child. Every day. Whatever it takes.” Jimmy Casas