I was on social media the other day. Yes, I know what it is and even how to use it. I came across several postings about what Freedom is doing in the community and the partnerships we are forging. It reinforced for me that the direction we set for Freedom, the priority we place on people helping people, is the right path.
At Freedom, we do not aspire to be a multi-billion-dollar organization, put our name on a stadium or be on every street. We aspire to be in our community, serving, educating, volunteering; doing good because it’s the right thing to do. Of course, as a business, we want to grow and need to be financially successful, but those are a means to an end. Real success is our ability to give back and put people first. That’s the choice we made to answer the question, “who are we?”
In the end, it’s all about choices; those we make, and those you and our community partners make. I don’t think people realize that something as simple as their choice of where to bank, and who they deal with, matters. How just normal banking and other interactions with Freedom benefit them and their community.
The cooperative spirit on which we were founded is alive and well here. It can be seen in our people, our volunteerism, our philanthropy, even our investments in Freedom itself. Therefore, it’s up to each of us to let you know. Not by just saying it, but by showing it. After all, actions speak louder than words; louder than ads and clever slogans. We should encourage you to choose to be part of Freedom; to be part of something bigger, not just something big, because the benefit of doing so is more than meets the eye and goes farther than you may realize.
