RALEIGH, NC (June 7, 2013) SECU Foundation representatives, State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) staff and local Advisory Board volunteers gathered with Raeford City, Hoke County School and other community officials to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Echo Ridge Teacher Housing Complex in Raeford, NC. SECU members via the SECU Foundation provided interest-free loan funding for Echo Ridge through a partnership with the Partners for Hoke County Public Schools Education Foundation. The much-anticipated complex will serve as a strong recruitment and retention incentive for the Hoke County School system by providing safe, convenient and affordable housing for new and current teachers.
Don Steed, President of Partners for Hoke County Public Schools Education Foundation comments, “We want to thank SECU members for their generosity and commitment to the future of our students and teachers of Hoke County. Echo Ridge will help bring stability to our teaching positions and will also provide an economic boost to our local communities.”
Echo Ridge is the fourth SECU Foundation-supported teacher housing development of its kind in the State. “Echo Ridge demonstrates SECU members’ continued commitment to education and their desire to give back to our State,” says Shirley Bell, SECU Foundation Board member and ceremony guest speaker. "We are proud to unite with the Partners for Hoke County Public Schools Education Foundation in this initiative --- one that will make a positive impact on Hoke County’s growing school system and the community for years to come.”
About SECU and the SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 75 years. With 1.8 million members, SECU provides services through 248 branch offices, 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Contact Centers and a website, www.ncsecu.org. The SECU Foundation, a 501c (3) charitable organization funded solely by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services.