- Celebrating 60 Years
- The History of Kindred Credit Union
- Introducing the HomeShare Mortgage
- Online Banking Enhancements
- Peace Innovators Showcase
- Online Privacy Blogs
- Wealth and Investment Webinars
- Holiday Closures
Celebrating 60 Years and Another Successful AGM
Our 2024 Annual General Meeting marked an exciting milestone as we celebrated the 60th Anniversary of Kindred Credit Union. Since 1964, we have remained steadfast in our purpose and values.
Demonstrating our continued dedication in providing excellent quality service to our members, we reviewed our 2023 financials and highlighted the success of product improvements and increased digital capabilities. Our financial health allows us to continue to support charities and community organizations with competitive terms and loans. With our engaged members, it has also enabled us to continue to support members and our communities, through our Crisis Care GIC and Loan, the Affordable Housing GIC and Loan, and our Community Inspiration GIC.
John Klassen, Interim CEO, shared some highlights of our community engagement, and we heard stories and experiences from three community partners: John Neufeld from House of Friendship in Waterloo, Trisha Robinson from Wilmot Family Resource Centre Inc. in New Hamburg, and Albert Loewen from Family Central in Aylmer. It was important for us to learn more on topics of safe and affordable housing, food security, and mental health, and share how we’re all helping to make positive impacts in our local communities.
We also had several giveaways for our in-person and Zoom attendees! Congratulations to all of our winners! We hope you enjoy your prizes!
This AGM also marked the end of Susan Taves role as Kindred’s Board Chair. Susan served as Chair for the last six years and shared some highlights from her tenure. Her contributions and engagement during our AGMs will be missed going forward – thank you for all your hard work and contribution to Kindred’s success!
This past year proved to be another successful year for Kindred. We look forward to continuing to serve our members and helping them make peace with their money, as together we further our purpose to connect values and faith with finances, inspiring peaceful, just, and prosperous communities. Thank you to our members and teammates for engaging in the governance of your credit union and for continuing to put your trust in us.
Read more from John Klassen, Interim CEO, Susan Taves, Board Chair, and Nancy Mason, Interim Chief Financial Officer in our annual report which can be found in branch or online.
See you at the next AGM in 2025!
Kindred Credit Union: A History of Making Peace with Your Money for 60 Years
On March 21, 1964, twenty-two Waterloo County Mennonites got together and deposited $22 in a cash box and our credit union was born!
Our founders’ radical vision was to see mutual aid put into faithful practice – individuals or groups bearing one another’s burdens, helping each other out in times of need and in times of plenty. As a financial cooperative, it’s our shared purpose and values as well as our heritage that make us who we are.
These beginnings continue to shape what we do and how we go about doing that together – through mutual aid, economic justice, and selfless service in our day-to-day financial lives.
A lot has changed since we launched on March 21, 1964, yet who we are has remained steadfast and woven into the fabric of our credit union. With variations of how we’ve expressed ourselves throughout the years, we have adapted and we continue to adapt, with our foundation remaining strong.
As part of our 60th Anniversary celebrations, we’re exploring and sharing stories from our past. Reflecting on our history, we will see how it continues to uniquely shape how we operate today as we live out our commitment to mutual aid through the products we offer, the services we provide, and the partners we engage with.
We’ve begun this by sharing a three-part blog series on Kindred’s history: part one explores what the original twenty-two Mennonites envisioned. In part two, we look at a name change and what those decades of growth brought to the credit union. The final – part three – looks to our more recent past, another name change, and explores how we can help you Make Peace with Your Money®.
Each story is available on our blog for members to read and enjoy. Keep an eye on our social media for more pieces!
Kindred’s Joint Mortgage has a Name – the HomeShare Mortgage!
Kindred’s joint mortgage product is now named the HomeShare Mortgage. Although we have offered joint mortgages for some time, the product lacked a name to clearly communicate the offering.
For many Ontarians, owning a home remains a key part of “the Canadian dream” and yet rising real estate prices are a major barrier to entering the housing market. A joint mortgage can provide a viable alternative when a home is owned jointly by two or more parties.
The HomeShare Mortgage can increase market accessibility for friends or family members who combine their resources and buy a property to share.
Have you explored all our online banking enhancements?
Our functional enhancements make your life easier when it comes to online banking.
Download Void Cheque
Get access to your money immediately with Void cheque forms for direct deposits or pre-authorized payments!
You can set up direct deposits or pre-authorized payments by downloading our Void Cheque form and sending it to your depositors/bill payees. You can also use this form to change your pay deposits with your employer. This form can be downloaded after you log in to online banking and auto includes your account information.
Scheduled and Recurring Interac e-Transfer®!
We’ve made sending and receiving money even easier with scheduled or recurring Interac e-Transfers for your personal accounts.
Interac e-Transfer offers a convenient, contact-free way for you to send money through online banking and our mobile app, quickly and securely, to anyone with an online banking account in Canada and an email address or mobile phone.
Achieving Mutual Wellbeing
As Kindred members, we continue to be encouraged to act on our founders’ radical vision to put mutual aid into faithful practice – supporting each other in community to achieve mutual wellbeing. For some in our communities, simply having access to a no-fee chequing account plan can improve their financial health.
Our Generations Plan, with no monthly fee and up to 25 free transactions each month, can make a difference. Having previously been available for youth, students, and seniors, this plan is now also available for RDSP beneficiaries and individuals who qualify for, or currently receive, income support payments (including ODSP and Ontario Works).
Individuals experiencing temporary financial distress who aren’t receiving income support can meet with us to discuss their eligibility for the Generations Plan.
Changemakers of Tomorrow – Peace Innovators Showcase
The Peace Innovators Scholarship & Mentoring Program equips young leaders with skills to tackle a problem they’re passionate about in their community. These Innovators network with other leaders in high schools across Ontario, and by the end of one year, they launch an event or campaign to address their cause.
On April 27, 2024, thirteen students presented their visions of the future and how they would create change in their local communities. The seventh cohort of high school students for the 2023-2024 Peace Innovators presented on a variety of causes.
You can learn more about the most recent cohort of Peace Innovators by visiting the Peace Innovators website.
Call for Applications
Want to make a difference, but not sure where to start? The Peace Innovators Scholarship & Mentoring Program is for youth who are passionate about working for peace. Learn more about the Peace Innovators Scholarship, application dates, and past applicants.
Privacy Week – May 6-10, 2024
During Privacy Week this year, we shared a series of blogs to help keep your data safe and protect you from identify theft.
Read our recent blog posts to learn:
What personal information is safeguarded under privacy laws and why it matters How you can protect your personal information What you should do if you are a victim of a privacy breach
Ultimately, be vigilant, be safe. Safeguard your personal data, and be aware of how privacy breaches can happen. You are the first line of defence.
Wealth and Investment Webinars
At Kindred, financial literacy is important to us. We’ve partnered with Aviso Wealth to create a series of free webinars on important financial topics that matter most to our members.
This spring, we invite you to attend one of these free sessions:
| June 12, 2024 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. |
Cottage and Cabin Succession |
For both parents and children, the family getaway is as much about emotion as it is bricks and mortar. We’ll look at interpersonal, tax and legal challenges, and consider transfer options that can help protect family wealth and preserve family harmony. |
| Sept. 11, 2024 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. |
RESPs and Education Savings |
The basic structure of the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) has been around since the 1970s. They allow for tax-free savings and investment growth to help pay for postsecondary education, and since the 1990s have been supplemented by a range of government support programs. |
Learn more about all the upcoming 2024 webinars by visiting kindredcu.com/webinars for information and to register!
Mark your calendars
All Branches and Member Contact Centre are closed for the following holidays:
Victoria Day: May 20, 2024
Canada Day: July 1, 2024
Civic Holiday: August 5, 2024
Labour Day: September 2, 2024
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: September 30, 2024