As 2020 ushered in the significant challenges of a pandemic and unrest, California Coast Credit Union, along with many other community-centric businesses and non-profits, needed to respond quickly to rapidly changing conditions.
“Our signature program for giving is Cal Coast Cares, where our staff volunteers dedicate their personal time in the community supporting hundreds of causes and charities every year, while the credit union provides financial support and financial education to many local organizations,” Rene McKee, Sr. Vice President of Community & Public Relations at Cal Coast shared with GB Magazine. “We had to very quickly change the way we engaged with the community, supporting virtual events instead of physical events, for example, and finding ways to provide support that responded to the immediate and urgent needs in the community.”
Cal Coast reached out to communicate with its many partners in the community, including other businesses, non-profits, schools, colleges and government agencies to assess their changing needs. Some of the ways Cal Coast has collaborated with them include:
- Partnering with the City of San Diego to create the San Diego Small Business Relief Fund – COVID19, which provides grants to small businesses impacted by the pandemic. Cal Coast provided $100,000 in seed money and paid fees related to processing donations though the company’s non-profit Cal Coast Cares Foundation.
- Joining forces with the San Diego Gulls and Rockin Baja Lobster to deliver lunches to staff at VA hospitals and clinics throughout San Diego County to show appreciation for frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic.
- Donating $5,000 to the La Mesa Business Disaster Recovery Fund to support La Mesa small businesses damaged during unrest the night of May 30. Cal Coast was able to respond quickly to their urgent needs, having been a part of the La Mesa Community for decades and active members in local Chambers of Commerce that established the fund.
Todd Lane, Cal Coast President & CEO, said, “We have had a branch in La Mesa for 30 years and have always been very engaged in the community, supporting local businesses, schools and families, and the recovery fund donation was a meaningful way to continue our support. Together with others who contributed to the recovery fund and the clean-up efforts, we are showing that La Mesa is a resilient community and will come out of this stronger than ever.”
A constant at Cal Coast throughout all the turmoil of 2020 – its continuing commitment to serving the community that it has been a part of for more than nine decades.
www.calcoastcu.org
