SELCO among 10 finalists for Credit Union Times’ Luminaries Award following the 2024 launch of its SELCO Steps Up community outreach initiative
(SPRINGFIELD, Ore.) — SELCO Community Credit Union is one of 10 credit unions of its size nationwide to be recognized by the Credit Union Times’ 2025 Luminaries Awards for Community Impact. SELCO is the lone Community Impact finalist from the Pacific Northwest among credit unions with between $1 billion and $4 billion in assets, and the only Oregon credit union regardless of size.
The Luminaries Awards celebrate top industry professionals, credit unions, and world-class service organizations that are changing the cooperative financial services industry for the better, according to the CU Times. Shining a spotlight on the individuals and organizations that have significantly enhanced the not-for-profit financial cooperative landscape, the award recognizes those who have driven positive change and inspire others to follow suit.
The recognition comes on the heels of the 2024 launch of SELCO Steps Up, the credit union’s revamped community outreach initiative that aims to foster meaningful, lasting change through nonprofit sponsorships, volunteerism, and funding for students and educators. From the official launch of SELCO Steps Up in February 2024 through the end of the year, SELCO awarded $415,000 in support through educator initiatives, scholarships, impact-driven sponsorships, and more—the largest year of giving in SELCO’s nearly 90-year history. SELCO employees also logged around 1,400 volunteer hours in 2024 alone.
“We’re thrilled to be a finalist for the Community Impact Luminaries Award alongside such an impressive group of like-minded organizations,” said Olivia Sorensen, SELCO’s Community Development Supervisor. “SELCO Steps Up was created to ensure our support for educators, students, and local nonprofits is meeting the changing needs of the communities we serve. The feedback we’ve received from recipients has been overwhelmingly positive, and this recognition affirms the heart of what SELCO stands for—building stronger communities through meaningful partnerships, volunteerism, and a commitment to creating opportunities that last.”
A panel of judges selected the 2025 Luminaries based on how well each nominee stated and achieved goals, how impactful their work has been, how dedicated the nominee has been to furthering modernization and humanization in the credit union business, and how committed the nominee has been to high ethical standards, service, and excellence.
“The CU Times newsroom believes in the credit union industry and the people and organizations that support the financial cooperative spirit, and that’s just one reason we do these awards,” says CU Times Editor-in-Chief, Michael Ogden. “We adore the creative ways these individuals and credit union-serving groups approach solving the financial issues for the members, and in turn, create a better world in communities across our country. It’s always an honor to recognize so many people doing so many wonderful and inclusive things to help push our industry higher.”
The winner in each category will be announced in November during an awards dinner in Orlando, Florida.
For more information about SELCO Steps Up, visit www.selco.org/steps-up/.
About SELCO Steps Up:
The SELCO Steps Up program aims to create positive, innovative, lasting change through volunteerism, resource support, and collaboration with community partners. In 2024 alone, SELCO reinvested nearly $415,000 in the communities it serves through educator grants, scholarships, and impact-driven sponsorships, while SELCO team members committed nearly 1,400 volunteer hours. As a credit union founded by teachers, education is a cornerstone of these efforts, with a focus on removing barriers to financial literacy. By empowering individuals and families to achieve financial well-being, SELCO strives to build a strong foundation for all its members and neighbors. Learn more at www.selco.org/steps-up.
About SELCO Community Credit Union:
Founded nearly 90 years ago by a group of fiscally minded teachers, Springfield-based SELCO Community Credit Union today serves more than 150,000 members as one of the largest and longest-standing Oregon-based credit unions. A not-for-profit, federally insured, member-driven financial cooperative with more than $2.7 billion in assets, SELCO provides its member-owners with exceptional rates and low fees on a full range of financial products and services, including banking, mortgages, personal and business loans, investments, and insurance. Membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of the 27 Oregon or eight Washington counties SELCO serves. For more information or to become a member today, stop by one of SELCO’s 15 branches, visit selco.org, or call 800-445-4483.
Contacts
Jacob Berns, SELCO, 541-338-3841, jberns@selco.org
Zack Hall, DVA Advertising & PR, 775-338-0745, zack@dvaadv.com