Desert Financial Credit Union celebrates new Prescott branch with commitment to community

By Nanci Hutson
Originally Published: Novemver 4th, 2024
The Daily Courier

Desert Financial Credit Union celebrates new Prescott branch with commitment to community

For the festive opening Friday, Nov. 1 of their much-awaited branch across from McDonald’s on Willow Creek Road in Prescott, Desert Financial Credit Union leaders proved to be financial fairy godmothers to eight community nonprofit charities — donating close to $60,000 for housing, learning and nutrition.

“Strong communities create economic opportunity and increase financial well-being for everyone,” said Jeff Meshey, president and CEO of Desert Financial Credit Union, during the festive autumn celebration attended by some 200 or more civic and business leaders.

He then shared the history of the nonprofit financial institution’s Arizona launch, with the Prescott branch its second in the Quad Cities; in 2021 it opened a branch in Prescott Valley. Eighty-five years ago, Meshey said, 15 teachers pooled together $78.75 worth of resources. Today, Desert Financial boasts 450,000 members, 50 branches and $9 billion in assets. Meshey joked that the opening of this branch may have taken a bit longer than anticipated, but guaranteed the branch eight-person team under the leadership of Branch Manager Jonathan Knight “the wait will be worthwhile.”

As the former Prescott Valley branch manager, Knight embodies Desert Financial’s commitment to community involvement. He is vice-president of the Humboldt Education Foundation and active in numerous other youth, education, business and civic activities in the greater Prescott area.

In his prepared statement, Meshey stated that Desert Financial is “focused on giving back and ensuring that our presence is felt not only through our financial services but through meaningful support to our neighbors.”

Credited with assisting the leadership with the search for a suitable, prominent location, Prescott Chamber of Commerce Sheri Heiney offered a hearty welcome an enterprise that has already embraced the community in so many meaningful ways. The Chamber is “so grateful” for the civic generosity and economic impact Desert Financial will bring to the community, she said.

At the autumn open house with food trucks and a formal ribbon-cutting, Desert Financial Credit Union and Foundation leaders highlighted two of the eight charities that will be receiving the largest gifts as part of their “Week of Giving” celebration – $15,000 to Prescott Area Shelter Services to support their savings match program that assists women and families in transitioning into permanent housing and $15,000 to Prescott Unified School District Education Foundation as it helps PUSD supply Mile High Middle School with innovative collaborative classroom desks suited to a 21st century education for some 600 students.

The other six gifts are: Yavapai College Foundation — $5,000 for career and technical education scholarships; U.S. VETS Prescott — $5,000 to support transitional housing; The Launch Pad Teen Center — $5,000 to sponsor teen participation in Project Launch, an intensive employment-related workshop and 50 hygiene kits; Lincoln Elementary School — $5,000 for educational supplies; Prescott Farmer’s Market — $7,500 to support providing affordable fresh food to those on a limited income; and Friends of Prescott Library — $5,000p for iPads, applications and books for non-verbal learners.

Ever honored to be able to enable homeless women and children to move from emergency shelter into transitional housing intended to prepare them for permanent housing, PASS Executive Director Carmen Frederic said these gifts are an investment in providing promising futures to those who striving to overcome various life challenges. Beyond the donation, attendees at the open house visited the PASS booth to fill out encouragement cards for their guests.

PASS now operates a 26-bed, 90-day emergency shelter for women and children with seven beds for mothers with sons 12 and older; an up to two-year transitional home for single, homeless women across from their emergency shelter; a two-family transitional home in Chino Valley and a complex of four, two-bedroom homes in Prescott suited for single parents, including a single father.

With this grant – with a promise to double it next year — Frederic said these families are able to get matched funds to their own savings to help with rental, utility and security deposits suited to meet their long-term housing goals. Since 2021, Desert Financial has donated $30,000 and 35 volunteer hours to PASS.

“We’re just so grateful,” Frederic said with a wave of affection to the Desert Financial family.

Likewise, PUSD Education Foundation Executive Director Paul Kirchgraber said Desert Financial’s gifts will make a tangible difference for students who until now were utilizing classroom furniture equipped for a 1980s classroom rather than one suited to a 2024 collaborative-learning focus for students, including those with special needs who without adjustable furniture are not as able to participate in classroom activities as they will be now.

In a gift that came as a quite welcome surprise, Kirchgraber said the ability to upgrade the historic middle school’s classroom furniture “is a testament to the changing priorities in education, emphasizing student well-being, engagement and the integration of technology into daily learning activities.”

“These advancements in school furniture design are more than a mere aesthetic upgrade—they actively support inclusivity, allowing students with diverse needs to participate fully and comfortably in their learning environment,” Kirchgraber said.

Meshey, Knight and fellow leaders concluded their official words, and presentation of donations, with a pledge: “A passion to help.”

Since 2020, Desert Financial Credit Union and Desert Financial Foundation have contributed $530,000 to charitable organizations, scholarships, and sponsorships to Yavapai County nonprofits and educational institutions.

“We believe in investing in our communities,” Meshey concluded.

By Nanci Hutson – The Daily Courier
Originally Published: November 4th, 2024