MCU in the Community

MCU is proud to be part of our community and believe that we have the responsibility and privilege to contribute to its wellbeing and success.

One of our major projects is to coordinate and sponsor an annual Financial Reality Fair for local high school students. Along with other local credit unions and our Connecticut Credit Union Foundation, Credit Unions Building Financial Independence, we work together to sponsor the Financial Reality Fair as part of a statewide program. Each year 350-500 students attend our experiential fair where they choose a career and the starting salary and then complete a 2 hour exercise making financial choices for the necessities of living on their own – rent, transportation, food, clothing, etc. Their object is to have money left at the end of the month. Sometimes they need to make hard choices like adding a supplemental part time job or buying a less expensive car. They all leave the fair with a better understanding of life in the real world, and many tell us they are going to go home and thank mom and dad.

We hold annual Zumbathons to raise funds to sponsor our reality fair, organized and coordinated by our VP of Lending and Hispanic Outreach, Vanessa Kuduk.

We’re excited to bring the Financial Reality Fair back in person—and for the first time at Stamford High School! This year’s event is a collaborative effort with CT Financial Scholars and Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell, who will kick off the Fair and welcome students from Stamford High School and Westhill High School to this hands-on financial learning experience.

We regularly volunteer with local not-for-profits. You may see us teaching ESL at Building One Community in Stamford, sorting clothes and food at Neighbor to Neighbor in Greenwich or serving up a meal at New Covenant Center in Stamford. Financial education is our strength whether it be for children, English and Spanish speaking adults or new immigrants. We’ve given financial education to young children at daycare and summer camp for Kids in Crisis, to new immigrants at People Empowering People and the Greenwich Library, and to mothers for the Connecticut Food Bank.

Staff contributes to a fund to wear jeans on Fridays, and at the end of each year we distribute the funds to organizations that benefit the community and are available for our members.

As dedicated MCU staff, it enriches our lives to give back to our community, and helps us live our motto, “Making Lives Better”.

2025 Financial Reality Fair - Stamford High School

We hosted a Financial Reality Fair at Stamford High School, welcoming over 200 students from SHS and Westhill during Financial Literacy Month! This fun, interactive event gave students a hands-on glimpse into real-world budgeting and decision-making after college, all part of our mission to empower the next generation with practical financial knowledge.

We were honored to welcome Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell, who inspired students and connected with them directly throughout the fair. We were also proud to welcome representatives from the Connecticut Department of Banking, who provided students with valuable information and resources. A huge thank you to all the incredible volunteers, community partners, and our dedicated Members CU team — your support helped make the 2025 Financial Reality Fair a true success. We couldn’t have done it without you!