Business View Magazine Apr-2023

105 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4 a credit union and a bank? Robnett: “Our purpose is different. We’re not in it just for the dollar; we deeply care. We hang our hat on member services because we have a vested interest in that person’s financial success. If their finances are in order, that’s a basic building block to overall happiness. The credit mantra of ‘people helping people’ really does tell how we see ourselves and our purpose. We’re trying to find ways to help our members live a better life, whether that’s saving, borrowing, planning for the future – all those things are important to us.” BVM: How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect those members’ lives? Robnett: “The COVID-19 pandemic brought about new challenges in the workforce. It caused a great number of retirements and some people just resigned. People were re-evaluating work and their relationship to work – what it meant to their lives. And studies show that 64% of Americans consider themselves financially unhealthy. With all this going on, what we found was there was a great impact on mental health, specifically on law enforcement. So, we were approached by some of our affinity partners and members to construct and offer financial wellness seminars to help our members deal with this.” “We sent some people through certified financial counseling classes; we conducted numerous financial wellness seminars across the country, in person as well as virtual, to put folks in a better place and to help them grapple with, and understand, their financial interests. We also partnered with the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), which is a partner of ours at their trauma and law enforcement sessions. These were held in major cities like New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, etc. We were able to talk with their members, as well as our members, about financial wellness; how to prepare for tomorrow; how to deal with the challenges of today. It was very rewarding for us and served a great need for them.” BVM: How did the pandemic affect operations at Justice Federal? JUST I CE FEDERAL CREDI T UNION Pictured L to R: Howard Cook, FBI National Academy President & CEO of Justice Federal Credit Union, and Partnerships meet at the FBINAA/IACP Reception spo