Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1184228
F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 9 M A C O N M A G A Z I N E | 2 5 Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated | Member SIPC & NYSE | www.stifel.com (478) 743-4171 | (800) 203-5250 577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1200 | Macon, Georgia 31201 Here for Macon. Here for you. Established in 1890, Stifel has grown to become one of the nation's leading wealth management and investment banking firms. We predicate our success on the success of our clients and the communities in which we live and work. Simply, we believe that as individuals, business, and public entities come together, we reach common goals. Churches, civil servants to establish credit union in East Macon WORSHIP AND COMMUNIT Y LEADERS have announced the preliminary stages of approval for the first credit union in the nation to be in a pilot program for a grant prior to being chartered. e announcement was made at a Feb. 2 news conference at the Rosa Jackson Recreation Center. e East Macon Federal Credit Union will maintain a minority-chartered, low-income designation, which will qualify it for grant funding based on its location. According to organizers, it will serve a variety of members who live, work and worship in East Macon. "e credit union will be a tool for financial literacy and empowerment," said Dominique Johnson, pastor of Kingdom Life and one of the credit union's organizers. "We are not in competition with other banking services. We recognize that a gap exists for the unbanked and the underbanked, and we want to fill that gap." Supporters said the credit union will help to eliminate issues like shadow banking and provide a tangible boost to the economic health of the East Macon community. "ere are a lot of people in East Macon that aren't eligible for traditional banks," Johnson said. e credit union will operate as a cooperative, meaning it will be owned and run by its members. Each depositor will have a vote in processes related to the agency. All deposits will be federally insured. "e community will own it, and all members will have a share," Johnson said.