New Grants Bring SECU Foundation’s 2024 Contributions to $24.6 Million
The North Carolina credit union gives $1.6 million to build a health care center and $325,000 to help the homeless.
The SECU Foundation, the charitable arm of SECU ($55.8 billion, Raleigh, N.C.), announced two new grants this week – $1.6 million for Vecinos, a health care services nonprofit based in Cullowhee, N.C., and $325,000 to Hendersonville Rescue Mission, a Hendersonville, N.C. nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness.
According to Scott Southern, director of grants administration for the SECU Foundation, the total amount awarded by the Foundation in Fiscal Year ‘24 is $24.6 million through grants, scholarships and loans.
Vecinos’ $1.6 million grant will fund the building of a new medical center and human services hub in North Carolina’s Macon County, allowing it to serve an additional 2,000 clinical patients in its first year after its opening and an additional 1,000 clients through the nonprofit’s partnerships. The health care nonprofit serves low-income and uninsured adults in six counties, working with partner organizations to provide services via mobile clinics and outreach programs.
“With a passion and determination to help others, Vecinos’ leadership and staff continue to reap great rewards for the people and communities they serve,” SECU Foundation Board Chair Chris Ayers said. “We are excited to be part of their larger vision and health care outreach to create healthy and thriving communities in the Western region and other underserved areas of the state.”
The Hendersonville Rescue Mission will also gain a new facility thanks to its $325,000 capital grant from the SECU Foundation – it plans to build a Women’s Ministry facility for women and children experiencing homelessness in four North Carolina counties. According to SECU’s announcement, the grant enables the nonprofit, whose emergency shelter remains consistently at full-bed capacity, to increase its shelter capacity as well as other wrap-around supportive services for more than 230 individuals annually.
“HRM’s mission has been filling a critical space in housing and emergency services for a vulnerable population in this rural western area for decades,” SECU Foundation Executive Director Jama Campbell said. “We applaud their dedication to this important work, and we are pleased the Foundation’s grant will help ensure that HRM can continue their ministry of promoting well-being and recovery for even more individuals in need.”