When it comes to community engagement and involvement, there are few local businesses that can surpass TwinStar Credit Union. Their 80-year history of doing the right thing has played a role in making Grays Harbor a pleasure in which to live, do business and raise a family. Three team members, Tina Perry, Branch Manager of the Hoquiam branch; BreAnn Turner, Branch Manager of the Aberdeen branch; and Cedric Slaughter, Community Engagement Manager, have teamed up to not only serve Grays Harbor members and businesses, but also to make their community a better place.
Tina Perry grew up in Grays Harbor, and started both her career and family there. “I began working for TwinStar Credit Union in August of 2006. I started as a part-time teller in the Aberdeen branch, and have since been a loan officer and an operations supervisor before becoming a manager of the Hoquiam branch in March of 2019. I help support both my members and my team when they need help reaching their financial goals. I am dedicated to helping my team provide the best member service to our membership base. I stay involved in the community by participating in many events.”
Like Perry, BreAnn Turner grew up in Grays Harbor. “I have been with TwinStar for five years, and worked in the financial industry locally for 15 years. On top of leading my team of 15 employees, I am actively involved in the Grays Harbor Community representing TwinStar and the credit union philosophy.”
“Grays Harbor is new for me,” admits Cedric Slaughter. “Because of this, I’ve spent time working with Tina and BreAnn, getting to know the county, the community and what is important to them both because they live right there. Although we all work for TwinStar, these two ladies are very well connected and plugged into this community so of course they have a good pulse on what’s going on here, they have been monumental in me being able to hit the ground running. We have been able to bounce ideas off each other, which has led to a recent campaign the credit union has undertaken. Although our time together has been brief, I can already tell this is a great partnership.”
This symbiosis has already manifested successes for the Grays Harbor community. One such success was their involvement in the 2019 Relay for Life Grays Harbor event this past May. “TwinStar hadn’t had a Relay for Life team for several years,” explains Perry. “We put a small team together and helped raise funds with raffling off a beautiful quilt (made by an employee’s mom), along with some hanging baskets. We put up a tent and gave away TwinStar goodies while everyone walked around the track with some of our team members. We had a lot of branch support and it was great watching the community come together as a whole to raise money for a great cause.”
Yet Relay for Life is just one of a number of projects the group is involved in. “Some of the other events in our area that TwinStar and its employees actively support include Food Ball, Downtown Beautification, Logger’s Playday and the Flag Day parade,” lists Turner. “Participating in these events benefits the community as we work side by side with our neighbors and members to support a stronger and growing Grays Harbor.”
The early successes between these three have given them a positive outlook on their future efforts together. “I think the sky’s the limit for us,” says Slaughter. “Although we have just begun working together, we’ve already made great progress.” Turner agrees. “We truly strive as a team to help the community that we serve achieve their financial goals and dreams.”
To this, Perry adds. “BreAnn, Cedric and I are passionate about being involved in the community, and will be looking for more opportunities to help in Grays Harbor.”
For more information about the services TwinStar Credit Union provides, click here.
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