Fall back in love with
your home
Many of us reach a point where we begin to feel a little ‘blah’ about our home, but moving is not
always an option. Here are some tips on how you can get a “new” home without a new mortgage
– and increase your home’s value.
Little changes can have a big impact
A home makeover does not have to involve spending
big bucks. Things like painting walls, changing light fixtures and knobs, and adding curtains and plants can
give your home a completely different look for only a
few hundred dollars. Rearranging furniture, artwork,
and knick-knacks can also freshen things up, and take
only a little time. If you have items that you are tired of
but are in good condition, you may be able to arrange a
swap. Perhaps a friend has been eying your table, which
clashes with your other furniture, while you would not
mind having hers instead.
Sample Shopping List
2 Gal. Primer
$40
2 Gal. Paint
$60
Painting Supplies
$20
3 Lighting Fixtures $250
20 Cabinet Knobs
$50
3 Sets of Curtains
$90
5 Plants
$75
www.wecu.com
Whatcom Educational
Credit Union
Expand
If you are feeling cramped, paint and new curtains are
Total
$585
not going to solve the problem. Converting an unfinished attic or basement can be a great way to add to
your space at a fraction of the cost of building an addition. According to Balance, for either
project, you can expect your home’s value to increase by roughly 70% of what you spend - a
fairly good yield for a remodeling project. Adding a deck is another simple way to increase your
space. If you are hiring a contractor, be sure to get quotes from at least three and check their
complaint history with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org).
July
2011
Make the most of what you have
If you don’t have the cash to finish your attic or basement – or do not have an attic or basement - there
other ways to make your space seem bigger without actually increasing your square footage. The
cheapest – though perhaps the least fun thing
you can do, is clean and throw away, donate, or
sell things you don’t need or use. If you have not
worn or used an item within the past year, you
probably do not need it. If you have a little cash
to spare, you can buy organizational tools, like
shelves, hooks, and furniture that provide extra
storage space. If the layout of your space is especially challenging, consider hiring a
professional organizer. He or she may come up
with creative solutions to your space or interior
design issues.
Copyright © 2011 BALANCE
wecu news & notes
Employee of the
Quarter
Congratulations to Kent
Bouma who has been selected as the Employee of
the Second Quarter for
2011. Kent has been recognized by his peers and
management for being an
amazing role model for
WECU, and a great influence on others. Kent helps out wherever and whenever
he can, motivating his staff to high performance
levels. Kent is also kind, considerate, professional
and friendly.
Our Privacy pledge
Whatcom Educational Credit Union is owned by its members and overseen by a Board of Directors you elect. Since
1936 the Credit Union has provided financial products and
services to our members. You have trusted us with information about yourself and your family, and we recognize and
respect your expectations of privacy. We have not and will not
violate that trust by selling member information for solicitation or any other purpose. We will continue to strive to earn
your trust and your business by honoring your privacy. We
take your privacy very seriously. Please take a moment to read
through our complete privacy policy enclosed with this newsletter or on the web at www.wecu.com.
Automated Clearinghouse items
Please be aware that your debit card number cannot be
used as your account number when setting up an ACH
(automated clearing house) item. The number on your
debit card is an encoded number and will cause the item
to be returned to the Credit Union. When setting up an
ACH, the first number listed on your checks, 325180113,
is WECU®’s routing number and the number following,
which typically begins with 800, is your account number.
Change to Funds Availability
Due to changes in Federal Regulation CC, your funds
availability policy has changed. Effective July 21, 2011, we
will be increasing next day funds availability on check
hold deposits from $100 to $200.
wecu news & notes
2012 Board elections
WECU® is not a bank; we are a member-driven, not-forprofit financial cooperative. Instead of customers, we have
members. And instead of a small group of investors, we
have a volunteer Board of Directors and Supervisory
Committee who are elected from, and who represent, the
members of the Credit Union. These dedicated men and
women provide strategic direction over the business and
affairs of WECU®, and oversee the safety and soundness
of our credit union. If you are interested in running for a
WECU® volunteer position, please visit our website at
www.wecu.com.
The Senior Picnic is here again!
Are you 65 years or older, or have you had a WECU®
account for over 20 years? If so, WECU® would like to
invite you to join us for our annual “Senior” Picnic. Every
year WECU® members gather for an afternoon of lunch
and catching up with long-time friends and neighbors.
The Picnic will take place in the multi-purpose room at
Bloedel Donovan Park, Monday August 1st from 11:30am
until 1:00pm. Lunch will be
served at 12:00 noon. Call our
Call Center at 676-1168, visit
www.wecu.com or stop into
one of our lobbies to make
your reservation. The deadline
to RSVP is Monday, July 25th.
June Milk Money Drive results and gear
up for Opportunity Council’s School
Supply Drive!
Thanks to the WECU® members who donated to our
Milk Money Drive, we were able to secure a full supply of
milk for the Bellingham Food Bank. WECU® facilitates
many opportunities for our members to give to worthy
causes and we rarely miss our goals when it involves
giving back to the community. Our goal was $750 in
member donations; as of June 15th, only half way through
the month, we already had over $840 in donations.
Thanks so much for your kindness.
Keep your eyes peeled for the chance to donate to Opportunity Council’s School Supply Drive during the months
of July and August! The drive dates are yet to be determined
so look for details next time you visit your local branch!
social responsibility
Life Skills class visits WECU®
In late May, Laura
Hoagland’s Shuksan
Middle School Life Skills
Class toured the WECU®
Holly Campus with Marketing department staff
Kessa Volland and Reid
Frederick. Students enjoyed talking about the
importance of saving to achieve financial goals and have an
emergency fund. During the tour, WECU® staff explained
their various roles within our cooperative and showed the
students interesting aspects of their jobs. We were thrilled to
have the students visit; our staff had fun explaining how the
free coin counter works, showing off the rooftop garden at
the Business and Home Loan Center, and fielding a number
of fun and funny questions!
Hooray for the 22nd Annual National
Kids’ Day Festival!
Looking for something fun to do with
the kids this summer? Bellingham
Parks and Recreation Department’s
Annual Kids’ Fest takes place Saturday, August 6th, from 11:00 am - 3:00
pm at Bloedel Donovan. The free Kids’
Festival is a one-of-a-kind spectacular event that includes
food, performers, inflatables, face painting, clowns and
more! Take the shuttle from Civic Field to Bloedel and
enjoy a day full of great, family friendly activities, games,
races and information on community organizations.
WECU® Human Race Team
A group of 25 WECU® members and staff participated
in the Human Race on Saturday, May 14th. The Human
Race is a 5k walk/run or a 10k run coordinated by the
Whatcom Volunteer Center to help non-profits raise
funds. We had 13 volunteers who were assigned positions along the route to cheer on the walkers and runners,
and 12 participants who walked or ran the race. WECU®
staff raised $605, which went to support our local nonprofits. The Human Race was truly a fun, successful,
high energy, rewarding event for everyone involved. We
were pleased to participate in an event that supports the
local non-profits in our community.
social responsibility
NON-PROFIT OF THE MONTH
Alzheimer Society of Washington
If memory loss is happening to you or someone you love
the Alzheimer Society of Washington (ASW) is here to
help. ASW sponsors a number of educational programs:
a day-long Spring Workshop and a Fall Conference to
educate family and professional caregivers, as well as a
10-week Early Memory Loss Educational series which
includes a follow-up support group. The series helps
people with memory loss and family caregivers learn
about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementing illnesses, and the supportive community services there
to help them plan for the future. ASW also holds Memory
Awareness Screenings at a variety of locations in
Whatcom County.
ASW provides a toll-free number for information:
1.800.493.3959, caregiver support groups with monthly
meetings for caregivers to meet and share coping strategies, a weekly 3-hour program for people with early
memory loss called Staying Connected and a newsletter and website for families and professional caregivers.
ASW counts on folks in our community to join us for Miles
for Memories, its annual fund raiser. The 3 Mile Walk /
5K Run is on Saturday August 20, 2011 at the Village
Green in Fairhaven.
Come join the fun and
help ASW provide for
the growing number
of people who reach
out for their services.
WECU® will be closed Monday,
July 4th in observance of
Independence Day.
wecu news & notes
Designated beneficiaries
Reminder - when you opened your account at the
Credit Union, you signed an account card. That account card includes an option that allowed you to
designate a “payable on death” (POD) beneficiary for
your accounts at the Credit Union.
Pursuant to the Membership and Account Agreement, the Credit Union will disburse the funds held
in all of your credit union accounts to your POD
beneficiary upon your death.
This is just a reminder that the beneficiary designated on your account card is the POD beneficiary
for all of your accounts at the Credit Union, including savings, checking, and certificates under your
member number, unless you executed a separate POD
designation for any certificates that you hold. This
includes accounts opened under this member number at the time you first opened your account at the
Credit Union and all subsequent sub-savings, checking, and certificates. We recommend that you check
who your beneficiary is annually. You can change
your POD beneficiary at any time by coming into
one of our branches. For your information, our
Membership and Account Agreement states:
wecu news & notes
WECU®’s Bike to
Work Teams
Congratulations to
WECU® employees
Amanda Cook, Erin
Willis, Jami Dunn,
Dustin Wilder, Richie
Foster, Katr ina Foster, Chris Beers, Jason
Wohl, Kristin Kandrnal,
Lindsay Nymoen, and
Aisia Thomas! Two
WECU® Bike to Work teams tracked their walking
and biking trips for the annual May Bike-to-Work
Competition. WECU®’s teams finished 9th and
62nd out of 115 Whatcom County teams!
seminars
Details: This free seminar will be presented in the WECU®
Education Center at 511 East Holly St. in Bellingham.
Reservations are required. RSVP 676-1168 ext 7360.
Student Visa Seminar
POD Beneficiaries
A Payable on Death (POD) designation is an instruction to the Credit Union that a designated account is
an account payable to the owner or owners during
their lifetimes, and upon the death of the last joint
account owner, payable to any named and surviving
POD beneficiary designated on your Account Card.
Accounts payable to more than one POD beneficiary
are owned jointly by such beneficiaries with right of
survivorship. Any POD beneficiary designation shall
not apply to IRA accounts, ESA accounts, or HSA
accounts which shall be governed by a separate beneficiary designation. Savings Certificate accounts will
be governed by the POD beneficiary designation on
the account card unless a separate beneficiary designation form is signed by all account owners. The
Credit Union shall at no time have any obligation to
notify any beneficiary of the existence of any account
or the vesting of the beneficiary’s interest in any account, except as otherwise provided by law.
Tuesday, July 12, 6:00 to 7:30 pm
Our popular teen workshop is back in time for school!
WECU® members aged 16 and 17 can learn about building credit and qualify for a student Classic Visa card!
Invites are in the mail. Call our Card Services department
at 676-1168 ext 7360 if you have any questions about our
Student Visa Workshop.
Our mission: Provide the means for members to achieve their dreams.
This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.