From left to right: Joshua (Josh) Brian, Gulf Coast market president and TDECU Cares Foundation secretary; Tracee Watts, vice president of advancement for Brazosport College; Alex Crouse, director of student life and intramural programs for Brazosport College and Crystal Harris, director of community development for TDECU. (Credit/TDECU)
TDECU launched its charitable arm with a celebration at the Dow Academic Center at Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, Texas, which included the introduction of the new organization's community partners and the presentation of an inaugural donation.
The $4.7 billion TDECU of Lake Jackson, located 55 miles south of Houston, unveiled the TDECU Cares Foundation Nov. 15 as a company-sponsored private 501(c)(3) that the credit union said will function not only as a charitable arm but "a steward of transformative change as it seeks to promote financial empowerment as a fundamental right for all."
The Foundation demonstrated its commitment to financial empowerment during its Nov. 15 Brazosport College event with a Fraud Prevention Seminar, during which TDECU fraud experts taught members ways to prevent banking fraud and demonstrated how to set up digital banking tools to safeguard their TDECU accounts.
"As the holiday season nears, it's crucial for us to heighten our vigilance regarding our members' accounts," Jason Miles, vice president of security and financial crimes for TDECU and a certified fraud examiner, said. "Folks are preparing to travel and this means potentially using unfamiliar gas stations and ATMs. We want our members and the community to know the importance of where they are using their cards and what business you're doing business with."
The event also included the unveiling of TruStage as a TDECU Cares Foundation community partner and the first-ever Foundation donor. What's more, the TDECU Cares Foundation presented a $10,000 donation to Brazosport College's on-campus food pantry, the Gator Mart.
Originally formed for Dow Chemical Company employees, TDECU now serves over 378,000 members in the Greater Houston, Victoria, Dallas-Fort Worth and Gulf Coast areas of Texas and operates 38 service locations.
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
