Say you’re a first-time homebuyer who’s spent a year in financial counseling, building savings and learning how a mortgage actually works. You might wonder who pays for that kind of help. A good part of the answer was in one room recently, when the GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment held its annual fundraising event and brought in more than $21,000.
More than 100 community leaders, donors, volunteers, partners, and advocates attended. That’s the first time the event has crossed the 100-guest mark, and it’s about 30 more people than last year. Plenty of new sponsors came aboard, and longtime partners stuck around too. The money will go toward programs that help individuals and families build financial confidence, find stability, and plan for a better future.
“This event is a celebration of what’s possible when organizations, businesses, volunteers, and community partners come together around a shared purpose,” said Matthew Rizzie, Executive Director of the Foundation. “The success of this evening reflects a growing commitment to ensuring that individuals and families have access to the resources, education, and support they need to achieve lasting financial well-being.”
The Foundation’s latest impact numbers show where that support goes. It served 1,291 households through financial education and counseling, ran 43 workshops, and logged more than 2,600 volunteer hours. Its foreclosure prevention work helped preserve more than $5.1 million in assets. Rizzie said the new funds will help continue and expand that work. “Every dollar invested helps create opportunities for individuals and families to build stronger financial futures while strengthening the communities we collectively serve,” he said.
The evening also included the annual Financial Empowerment Champion Awards, which honor people and organizations that embody partnership, service, and community impact. Hope Food Distribution Services received the Champion Partner Award for its commitment to families across Northern Lake County and its growing partnership with the Foundation and Great Lakes Credit Union. TruStage took home the Catalyst for Community Impact Award for its long-running support, advocacy, and investment in financial empowerment across the region.
Gelissa Harris was named Client of the Year. She worked through financial counseling, homeownership education, and savings programs, and kept at it while pursuing greater stability and affordable homeownership. Her story shows what education, counseling, and community partnership can do for one person’s life.
Separately, the Foundation organized a Week of Volunteering for GLCU employees in honor of CU Kind Day, a nationwide credit union volunteering initiative. From October 11 to 16, 2026, 137 employees gave more than 400 hours to 18 organizations, including United Way of Lake County, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Give N Kind, and the Bridge Teen Center.
“This year’s Week of Volunteering reflects our commitment to showing up for our communities,” Rizzie said. “By coming together and giving our time, we’re supporting the work of our nonprofit partners and putting our mission of community empowerment into action.”
Looking ahead, the Foundation plans to expand access to financial education, housing counseling, financial coaching, volunteer service, and community partnerships. “The impact we celebrate is not the work of one organization alone,” Rizzie said. “It’s the result of people choosing to invest in one another.”
For you, that means help is available if you’re facing a foreclosure notice, saving for a first home, or just trying to make sense of your budget. Workshops, counseling, and coaching are there to use, and the growing roster of sponsors and volunteers suggests they’ll keep going. If you live in the area, reach out to the Foundation or Great Lakes Credit Union to see which program fits where you are right now.