Financial Matters: Christmas in July

HAMPTON, Va. (WVBT) - After last week's record-breaking heat, many of us were wishing for a blast of winter air, maybe Christmas in July?

Christmas in July has a different meaning for the folks at BayPort Credit Union's Hampton Branch.

Ashlie McKeel, Bayport Member Service Representative stopped by the show to tell us why.

Why is the Hampton Branch celebrating Christmas in July?

For the past two years we have partnered with The Center for Child and Family Services to help them provide a safe and comfortable atmosphere for parents and children to meet and spend time together. We set up a Christmas tree with tags naming games and toys to provide our staff and membership an opportunity to give back to the community.
Tell us about The Center for Child and Family Services.
The Center for Child and Family Services serves over 10,000 people from the Hampton Roads area ranging from infants to seniors. A few of the services they offer are Behavioral Health Services, Child and Family Connection, as well as Consumer Credit Counseling.

How has the Hampton Branch partnered with the center?

Our branch has been focusing on the center's Supervised Visitation Center. We have hot dog sales, slushy and popcorn sales, and Bake sales throughout the year to help raise money to update the rooms used for visitation. They have several different rooms in the center, which are used for different age groups. Last year we remodeled the infant/toddler room. We painted, put down new carpet, replaced furniture, and provided toys and games so that parents can properly and comfortably interact with their children. Our fundraisers allowed us a very successful transformation at the center. This year we're hoping for double the success as we move on to the room designated for teens.

We don't stop there! We have employees who volunteer at charitable concerts with the center, and we also have employees who donate their down time at work, as well as time off the clock to help the center with administrative tasks.

Why is BayPort so involved with charitable organizations?

"People Helping People" is at the core of the Credit Union movement and at BayPort we take pride in being able to reach out to many local organizations that do so much good for our community.

BayPort invites everyone to stop by the Hampton Branch to pick up a toy tag and be a part of a worthwhile endeavor.

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