If you've received an email from anyone at United Way of Thurston County (UWTC), you'll notice several logos displayed beneath our own. These organizations are UWTC's Cornerstone Partners.
Cornerstone Partners are central to our success, providing foundational support for our organization, as well as important leadership on our board and other committees, insight on community issues, thousands of volunteers who take a hands-on role in getting things done, and the financial resources to make progress on health, education, and financial stability in Thurston County.
Our Cornerstone Partners are among our most engaged supporters; they participate in the community at United Way volunteer opportunities, and they are active and engaged in helping us achieve our goals in Thurston County.
Cornerstone Partners work every day to deliver the highest service to our community. We thank them for their dedication to helping us achieve our mission of fighting for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our community.
Below is a spotlight on one of our Cornerstone Partners, TwinStar Credit Union.
United Way of Thurston County: What is something interesting or surprising that most people don’t know about TwinStar?
TwinStar: Our credit union started in the desk drawer of OLYMPIA high school and loans were made in the hallways since we didn’t have a branch.
United Way of Thurston County: Is giving back to the community part of your organization’s mission?
TwinStar: Giving back to our community is essential for TwinStar and we do that through our credit union and also have established the TwinStar Community Foundation. We give both dollars as well as volunteer time and positions on nonprofit boards. We believe that supporting not only our members but the places we live and work makes a better world for all of us and keeps us true to our mission and core values. Our philanthropy spans a wide variety of needs including financial literacy, feeding children, scholarships, teacher grants, support for DEI initiatives, health and the arts.
United Way of Thurston County: How does your organization engage employees in serving the community?
TwinStar: Our organization provides 8 hours of paid volunteer time for all employees and we utilize an app where we load all volunteer opportunities that employees can sign up for and participate in. We also offer opportunities for giving on a regular basis with an automatic deduction from their paycheck if they choose. We have numerous events such as garage sales, raffle tickets for great gifts and other sales to fundraise for our nonprofit partners. During the pandemic when it was harder to volunteer in person, we partnered with United Way to find activities that employees could do at home.
Learn more about TwinStar here: https://www.twinstarcu.com/