More than 100 Affinity Federal Credit Union employees are now certified Wellbeing Coaches. That’s a notable number for a credit union, and it hints at where Affinity is headed with its newest project: the Affinity Wellbeing Institute (AWI).
AWI pulls the credit union’s financial education, wellbeing coaching and community partnership work under a single roof. It launches alongside National Wellbeing Day, a new annual observance created by the institute. It lands on Nov. 2, and 2026 is its inaugural year.
Why a credit union is talking about more than money
Think of your life like a house. You can repaint the kitchen all you like, but if the roof is leaking, the paint won’t last. Money, health, work, friendships and community all hold each other up, and a problem in one spot tends to show up in another.
Grant Gallagher, AWI’s Founder and Executive Director, makes the same point. “Wellbeing does not live in one category of a person’s life,” he said. “A stressful job, a health scare or a disconnected community can shake someone’s financial stability just as much as a bank balance can.” AWI aims to be a central place for trusted, judgment-free resources covering every part of life.
What Affinity has already built
The institute isn’t starting from scratch. Affinity’s wellbeing focus has stretched well past finances to include physical, social, career and community health. Along the way, the credit union has:
- Trained and certified over 100 team members as Wellbeing Coaches
- Built an extensive article library and launched the Wellbeing and Your Wallet Podcast
- Published annual indexes on summer vacation and holiday season spending, covering the financial, emotional and community impact of both
- Hosted community events and webinars, including Financial Reality Fairs that teach essential money skills to high school and college-age people
- Partnered with Legal Karma for estate planning guidance and with Navicore Solutions for free credit counseling
- Run the annual Affinity Wellbeing Awards, honoring individuals and organizations that improve their communities’ wellbeing
AWI will extend these efforts and add more, with education, research, content, resources and experiences meant to give members and communities practical ways to act.
What National Wellbeing Day asks of you
The new holiday is a pause button. It invites people to look at their whole wellbeing picture and see how financial, physical, career, social and community health connect. The idea is that lasting wellbeing comes from tending these areas together, not one at a time.
The ask is small: take one concrete step. That could mean:
- Reviewing your budget
- Scheduling a health screening
- Updating your estate plan
- Reconnecting with a neighbor
- Learning something new
Kevin Brauer, President and CEO of Affinity Federal Credit Union, framed it as an extension of the credit union’s long-held approach. “Affinity has always measured success by how our members are doing, and that reaches well beyond their accounts with us,” he said. “National Wellbeing Day extends that belief to everyone with one simple invitation: take a single step toward better wellbeing today.”