Author: Ashira Quabili

Freedom Federal Credit Union Donates Face Masks and Thermometers to Harford County Public Schools

August 11, 2020Freedom Donates 6000 Face Masks to HCPS

Harford County Public School (HCPS) and Freedom Federal Credit Union leadership and staff representatives gather on the steps of HCPS Headquarters to showcase the new masks that will be distributed to HCPS employees across the school system.
Seated (Left to Right): HCPS Transportation Coordinator Tina Hockaday, representing HCPS support staff, and Halls Cross Roads Elementary School Teacher Laura S. Pohlenz, representing HCPS teachers.
Standing Left from Freedom Federal Credit Union (Front to Back): President and CEO Michael MacPherson, Business Development Director Lisa Snodgrass, and Senior Vice President of Marketing Carmen Mirabile.
Standing Right from Harford County Public Schools (Front to Back): Superintendent Dr. Sean Bulson, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Jean Mantegna, and Chief of Administration Eric Davis.

Freedom Federal Credit Union, in partnership with Harford County Public Schools (HCPS), is providing all teachers and support staff with protective, reusable face masks for the upcoming school year. Six thousand masks will be distributed to all teachers, office workers, food service staff, facilities staff, transportation staff, teacher substitutes, and new hires.

Additionally, 30 infrared no-contact thermometers have been donated by Freedom for use in all HCPS school buildings and offices to supplement similar thermometers already available in each school’s health suite. The $26,000 contribution to purchase the masks and thermometers is intended to show appreciation for every HCPS employee’s contribution and dedication, and to provide critical protective equipment to help support HCPS protocols to keep all HCPS employees safe and healthy during the upcoming year.

Freedom Federal Credit Union was originally slated to sponsor the HCPS Annual Employee Service Recognition Program and Awards Dinner, which they have sponsored since 2013. The program recognized hundreds of employees annually who had reached 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 years of service milestones. Due to the statewide closure of schools, and social function restrictions, the 2020 recognition program was cancelled. Freedom, working closely with school administrators, believed that the face masks would be a great way to show appreciation for all HCPS staff- both in and out of the classroom.

Prior to the decision on whether or not the upcoming school year would resume in person or virtually, both Freedom and HCPS administration recognized that many hundreds of staff members will continue to be required to report in person either regularly or periodically, and that all staff, including those working remotely, would continue to need face coverings for use in any public setting.

“In the best of times, we have always made it a priority to show our teachers that we care about their well-being and appreciate their dedication to the children in our community,” stated President and CEO of Freedom Federal Credit Union, Mike MacPherson. “In what now feels like the worst of times, we know that the pressures our educators, and all those who support our education system, face, will be great, and we hope this sponsorship will show our appreciation for all they do while supporting their health and safety.”

Invited to represent HCPS teachers in a photograph showcasing the new masks, Laura S. Pohlenz, a vocal music teacher at Halls Cross Roads Elementary School, recently completed her 30th year teaching for HCPS. Ms. Pohlenz expressed, “I am happy to represent teachers in this partnership with Freedom Federal Credit Union, and would like to personally thank them for this generous gift of face masks to the school system, in an effort to ensure the safety for our students and staff during this time.”

Representing HCPS support staff in this partnership, Transportation Coordinator, Tina Hockaday, who has been with HCPS for 14 years, remarked, “We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Freedom Federal Credit Union. Thank you for thinking of the safety of our students and staff.”
In the July 29, 2020 Superintendent’s Bulletin, Dr. Sean Bulson, acknowledged the contribution. “This year, FFCU has chosen to recognize all employees of HCPS by donating a protective face mask for every employee. By means of this generous contribution, they would like to honor and show their appreciation for the work done by every HCPS employee as we continue to educate the students of HCPS, while maintaining a safe and protected environment for staff and students. We hope that you will join us in expressing our appreciation to Freedom Federal Credit Union for this generous contribution!”

About Freedom Federal Credit Union

Freedom Federal Credit Union is a community-chartered federal credit union offering consumer financial services to those who live, work, volunteer, worship, attend school, or have family in Harford and Baltimore Counties. Additionally, Freedom offers a full-line of banking services for all businesses, associations, and other organizations that are based in Harford and Baltimore Counties. To learn more, visit freedomfcu.org.

About Harford County Public Schools

The mission of Harford County Public Schools is that each student will attain academic and personal success in a safe and caring environment that honors the diversity of our students and staff.  The vision of the Board of Education of Harford County is to inspire and prepare each student to achieve success in college and career.

Student Loan Changes During COVID-19

Student Loan Relief

With unemployment levels rising and many employers cutting work hours, lots of college grads are now struggling to meet their student loan payments. Thankfully, the federal government has passed legislation to ease this burden. Unfortunately, though, many borrowers are confused about the terms and conditions of these changes.

Here’s all you need to know about the changes to student loan debt during the coronavirus pandemic.

All federal student loan payments are automatically suspended for six months

As part of The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) signed into law on March 27 all federal student loan payments are suspended, interest-free, through Sept. 30, 2020. If borrowers continue making payments, the full amount will be applied to the principal of the loan. The suspension applies to all federal student loans owned by the Department of Education as well as some Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) and some Perkins loans. Students do not have to take any action or pay any fees for the suspension to take effect.

Additionally, during the suspension period, the CARES Act does not allow student loan servicers to report to the credit bureaus borrower nonpayments as missed payments. Therefore, the suspension should not have a negative effect on borrowers’ credit scores.

If you’re not sure whether your student loan is federally owned, you can look it up on the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website. Be sure to have your FSA ID handy so you can sign in and look up your loans. You can also call your loan servicer directly to clear up any confusion.

Here is the contact information for federal student loan servicers:

Suspended payments count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness and loan rehabilitation. 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal program allowing borrowers to have their student loans forgiven, tax-free, with the stipulation that they work in the public sector and make 120 qualifying monthly payments. A disruption of these 120 payments can disqualify a borrower from the program.

According to the CARES Act, suspended payments will be treated as regular payments toward PSLF. This ensures that borrowers who have been working toward these programs will not lose the progress they’ve made toward loan forgiveness.

The same rule applies to individuals participating in student loan rehabilitation, during which borrowers with defaulted student loans must make nine out of 10 consecutive monthly payments to pull their loans out of default. The U.S. Department of Education will consider the six-month suspension on payments as if regular payments were made toward rehabilitation.

Some states and private lenders are offering student loan aid for struggling borrowers.

If your student loan is not federally owned and you are struggling to meet your payments, there may still be options available, such as loan deferment or forbearance. If you are in need of such assistance, contact your lender directly to discuss your options.
Consider an income-driven repayment plan.
If you have an FFEL that is ineligible for suspension, you can lower your monthly payments by enrolling in an income-based repayment plan, which adjusts your monthly student loan payment amount according to your discretionary income. Other lenders offer similar plans, often referred to as income-driven repayment plans. If your salary was cut as a result of COVID-19, or you are currently unemployed, these plans can provide relief by making your monthly payments more manageable.
Employers can contribute toward employees’ student loan debt for temporary tax relief
The federal government offered temporary tax relief for employers contributing up to $5,350 toward their employees’ student loan payments. This benefit is in effect until Jan. 1, 2021 and it can be used for any kind of student debt, whether federal or private.

If you don’t qualify for the student loan payment suspension, you can try speaking with the human resources department at your workplace to find out how they can help you with your student loan debt at this time.
Seeking New Student Loans During the Pandemic
Students and families should start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan.

Freedom is now partnering with Sallie Mae to enable Freedom members access to student loan options that fit their specific educational needs.

Learn More about Freedom’s Student Loan Program.

Your Turn: Have you taken advantage of student loan debt relief offered during the coronavirus pandemic? Tell us about it on Facebook.

I Think Therefore I Am

July 17, 2020

I think thinking is good.  I think about thinking a lot; especially these days because there is so much more to think about.  I think we even think about things we never thought about before and think about what we’re going to need to think about in the future.  You think more about where to go, how to go, the known and unknown.  You think more about family and friends.  You may think more about strangers and what they’re thinking.  You may even think about how much thinking people are not doing these days.  You think about how they act rather than think because thinking takes too much effort.  I must say, however, I think there is some non-thinking that is actually good.

When you think about it, our brains are a marvelous thinking machine and I find myself thinking about how much thinking my thinking machine can take.  Which is why, I think, it’s good to take some time not to think, but not in the way most people aren’t thinking these days.  For example, if I go to the beach I see lots of people reading books or scrolling on phones and tablets.  Not me.  I took a book once and read only three chapters in a week.  I took a comic book for the entertainment value and minimal time it took.  Mostly though, I just sit and stare off.  Perhaps play some music, but it’s just background.  I sit and think of nothing.  I take in the wind and sounds and visual rhythms that pass before me, but I don’t think about them; they just are.  As I think about it now, I realize when I don’t think, sometimes I think the best. When you tune out the all the thoughts that constantly plague your mind, when you take a few moments to clear your head, it’s like a reboot to your entire system and when you tune back in, there are amazing ideas, a greater appreciation of things and a renewed focus on what needs to be done.

Of course, you don’t need to be on a beach.  You can do it anywhere.  Sometimes I take a few moments to get up from my desk and look out the window.  You just need to make time, for a few brief moments, at home, in your car, walking a trail, anywhere, to let it all go, breath deep, and don’t think.

Thinking is good, thinking is necessary most of the time, but not thinking for even just a little bit here and there, is a really good thing too.   I think.

 

Mike