Here’s how you end a chapter the right way: by making sure every last dollar goes exactly where it can do the most good.
The PACU Foundation just wrapped up five years of community-focused work in central North Carolina, and it’s going out with one final meaningful gesture. As Piedmont Advantage Credit Union prepares to merge with Truliant Federal Credit Union, the Foundation closed its doors by distributing its remaining funds to seven organizations that have been making a real difference in people’s lives.
And we’re not talking pocket change here. Since launching in 2020, the Foundation pulled together an impressive $250,894—all thanks to credit union members, employees, local businesses, and community supporters who understood that pooling resources creates ripple effects.
The Final Seven: Where the Money Went
Each of these organizations received $10,011 in the Foundation’s closing distribution:
- Education Over Debt Foundation — Scholarships for African American high school students in Mecklenburg County, plus support for undocumented students of color navigating both citizenship and college.
- Help, Incorporated’s Square One Family Justice Center — A Rockingham County hub helping survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and human trafficking rebuild their lives with comprehensive services and financial stability programs.
- Mooresville Area Christian Mission — Tackling generational poverty in Iredell County through crisis support, case management, and educational programs that give families a real shot at breaking the cycle.
- A Storehouse for Jesus — A volunteer-powered ministry in Davie County providing food, clothing, household essentials, and medical help to anyone dealing with financial hardship, illness, domestic violence, or homelessness.
- Winston-Salem Rescue Mission — Christian-based recovery programs for men, alongside food, clothing, and medical and dental care for families who need it.
- Winston-Salem Street School — An alternative high school giving at-risk students a path to graduation through a holistic approach that builds them up academically, socially, physically, and spiritually.
- The Women’s Resource Center of Greensboro — Promoting women’s self-reliance through personalized assessments, resource coordination, and connections to essential community services.
Five Years, Countless Lives Changed
The Foundation’s work touched everything from financial assistance and education to basic survival needs. It’s the kind of impact that doesn’t show up in a single headline but compounds over time—helping one family stabilize, one student graduate, one survivor find safety.
“This final chapter is bittersweet, but it’s also incredibly meaningful,” said Jean Golden-Rumer, President of the PACU Foundation. “Five years ago, we set out with a simple belief that when a community comes together, lives can change. Thanks to the generosity and support of so many people, that’s exactly what happened.”
That final push got a serious boost from the Foundation’s last Flying Colors Charity 5K and Fun Run, which absolutely crushed it by raising $54,754. Half of that came from a $27,377 matching contribution by Truliant—a fitting partnership as the two credit unions move forward together.
More Than Just Writing Checks
Dion Williams, President & CEO of Piedmont Advantage, put it plainly: “The PACU Foundation has always reflected the very best of who we are as a credit union. Its purpose was never simply to make donations. It was to invest in organizations that strengthen our communities and improve lives every day.”
That philosophy—people helping people—is baked into the credit union DNA. And while the Foundation itself is closing, the organizations it supported will keep that spirit alive.
As Golden-Rumer noted, “Although the PACU Foundation’s work has ended, the lives it touched and the organizations it supported will continue to reflect the credit union philosophy of people helping people for years to come.”
Sometimes the best legacies aren’t the ones that last forever. They’re the ones that set other good things in motion—and then step aside to let them run.
Related:
PACU Foundation awarded $10,000 by Elan Credit Card’s Charitable Giving program
PACU Foundation Fifts $31,200 to Six North Carolina Charities