All Freedom offices and branches will close at 1:00PM on Thursday, December 31st and reopen on Saturday, January 2nd in observance of New Years. Online and Mobile banking are available 24/7 for your banking needs.
Branch Closure
Please be advised that the Drive Through at the Forest Lakes Branch on Rock Spring Rd will close one hour early (5pm) on May 5th for maintenance. Please use our locations pageto find another branch or atm near you.
Notice
Skip the paper, go digital! Enroll in eStatements for faster, secure access to your account information. Click hereto get started.
Branch Closure
Please be advised that the Drive Through at the Fountain Green Branch on Churchville Rd will close one hour early (5pm) on April 29th for maintenance. Please use our locations pageto find another branch or atm near you.
Branch Closure
Please be advised that the Drive Through at the Park Avenue Branch on Emmorton Rd will close one hour early (5pm) on April 28th for maintenance. Please use our locations pageto find another branch or atm near you.
Branch Closure
Freedom’s Park Avenue Branch in Bel Air will close early at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, April 15th for the Annual Meeting.
Branch Closure
Please be advised that the Edgewood branch location is temporarily closed, and will reopen on Monday, March 16th, under normal operating hours. Please use our locations pageto find a branch near you. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Notice
The 2026 Annual Meeting of Members will be held at the Park Avenue branch on April 15th at 4:00PM. Registration is required for this member-only event. RSVP today to save your seat!
On a hot August day, nine Freedom staffers joined Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna to help their community and burn off some energy. Habitat staffer Bill Schmidt began the day by explaining Habitat’s mission and methodology. The home project, located in Edgewood, required staffers to clear out trash and debris, remove doors and trim, pull up carpet—whatever it took to create a clean slate for renovation inside and out.
As the day’s temperature soared, kitchen cabinets were demolished and floors ripped up. A load of recyclable metal and reusable items was assembled and loaded onto Habitat trailers. A large dumpster was filled and hauled away. And a sweaty, tired bunch of employees was ready to head home for a shower! The dirty work was all to help local residents buy safe, affordable housing in our area. It was a gratifying experience for the volunteers.
Freedom volunteers from left: Andrea Woodard; Keith Gill; Marcus Johnson; Kati Grasmick; Bob Wehland; Jeff Herman; Habitat for Humanity staff member Bill Schmidt; Susan Tannahill; Rachel Schmidt; Kelly BerendsFrom left: Bob Wehland, VP of Business Banking and Keith Gill, CFOFrom left: Andrea Woodard, Member Services Call Center Representative, Edgewood branch, and Kati Grasmick, Financial Services Representative, Forest Lakes branch
Segment Features Our Kids’ Art Calendar Contest Winners
Freedom’s Kids’ Art Calendar is complete. Watch the latest Kids’ Cents segmentfor interviews with some of the young artists!
Kids’ Art calendars are in all branches beginning October first. Calendars are free to members, but please consider supporting local children with a donation. Benefits from the Kids’ Art Calendar go to Harford County’s Greater Excellence in Education Foundation, or GEEF.
The TV Show
Kids’ Cents is part of a monthly Harford Cable News Network show for young viewers. Freedom sponsors Kids’ Cents as part of our commitment to financial education for individuals of all ages.
Check out our YouTube channel for more financial education resources. The Freedom YouTube channel also features past Kids’ Cents episodes.
Donate at any Freedom Branch to Help Local Students
Please help students receive needed school supplies by dropping off your donated items at any Freedom branch through August 29. All donations support students in Harford County through the Greater Excellence in Education Foundation’s Stuff the Bus School Supply Campaign.
Love of Kids — and Horses — Prompts Saturday Volunteerism
Six Freedom staffers responded to the opportunity to assist at Normandy Farms Therapeutic Riding program. Designed for disabled children, the program gives people of all abilities the chance to enjoy horseback riding.
Freedom’s volunteers were able to help in a variety of ways, from brushing horses and cleaning out stalls to assisting riders in the ring.
It was a beautiful day, well spent!
Dominique Beverly, Indirect Lending Coordinator, waiting to assist a mounting riderStaffer Susan Tannahill brushes a horseVolunteer Kati Grasmick prepares a stall for new bedding.Shown from left to right are Dominique Beverly, Kati Grasmick, Michelle Young, Stacie Sloan, and Susan Tannahill Not pictured: Tabitha Becker
Winner and Runners-Up Selected in Golden Apple Plus Annual Educator Award Competition
At back, left-to-right are Freedom President/CEO Michael MacPherson and runner-up Thomas Fare. In front, left-to-right are Shelly Sparks, runner-up, winner Alisa Janiski, and Patrice Ricciardi, Freedom Business Development Specialist.
We’re pleased to announce that Alisa Janiski is the winner of our 2016 Golden Apple Plus Annual Educator Award competition. Ms. Janiski, a teacher at both Church Creek Elementary and Roye-Williams Elementary, won the top $1,000 prize for her concept called “Code for Change.” The award is for a Freedom member who is a deserving teacher, school administrator or school support employee.
Ms. Janiski’s winning concept will use computer programming in a lesson plan designed for elementary school students. It uses LEGO and K’NEX pieces combined with programing to teach engineering, robotics and problem-solving. As a result, she said, students will be able to work in teams to design, construct, and program to solve a problem.
According to Ms Janiski, possibly the best aspect of computer coding is the element of failure that the students experience. They are forced to troubleshoot, debug, and recreate multiple times until they reach success.Through her work at two schools, Ms. Janiski has the potential to impact 1,300 students.
Runner-Up Awards
First and second place runner-up awards of $250 each-were won by Thomas Fare, a second grade teacher at Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary, and Shelly Sparks who teaches at North Harford High School.
Mr. Fare’s winning entry included several ideas, such as engaging parents by filming students in the classroom for parents to view on a secure web site. He also developed a concept to make writing, proofreading and editing fun by turning the process into an experience like operating on a patient. In addition, he wants to secure an English as a Second Language (ESOL) certification to help non-English speaking students at his school.
Ms. Sparks won for her idea to purchase a document camera to incorporate additional STEM concepts into her Mathematics lessons. The camera, she said, will help students learn the step-by-step processes of problem solving, and will engage them to demonstrate their reasoning skills and perseverance to solve math problems. Seeing how different students can interpret and solve a problem will help the students reinforce that there is not just one way to think mathematically. By energizing and motivating the students, she hopes they may decide to pursue careers involving mathematics.
All applicants were asked to submit an essay demonstrating how their idea would serve their students, class, school and the Harford County community. Entries were judged by a panel of Freedom employees, board members, and a business partner; including President/CEO Mike MacPherson, Chief Risk Officer Michele Young, Board members Ronnie Davis and Lisa Ermatinger, and Mary Hastler, President of the Harford County Public Library Foundation.
Board and Staff Member in Academy’s Graduating Class
Congratulations to Freedom’s 2016 Harford Leadership Academy Graduates! Pictured are (L to R); Rick Gerety, Freedom’s Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors; Victor Cryan, Director, Corporate and Professional Training at Harford Community College; and Bob Wehland, Freedom Vice President, Business Banking and Business Development.
The Harford Leadership Academy (HLA) is a Community-Development program, co-sponsored by Harford Community College and the Harford County Chamber of Commerce. The Academy is designed to promote the development of existing and emerging leaders and to create a committed, involved, and diverse network of leaders in Harford County.
In addition to this year’s Academy graduates — VP of Business Banking Bob Wehland and Board member Rick Gerety — several other Freedom employees are HLA graduates. These include Mike MacPherson, President/CEO (2000); Dawn Hamilton, Lending Program Manager (2005); Patrice Ricciardi, Business Development Specialist (2013); and Sue Manning, Business Development Specialist (2014). Additional Freedom board members who are HLA graduates include George Heidelmaier (2000); and Ronnie Davis (2009).
More than 700 individuals have completed this outstanding program, including leaders representing the areas of business and industry, education, government and civic organizations. Attendees complete thirteen sessions on the topics how government works; economic development and planning for the future; education and workforce development; agriculture and the environment; ethical leadership; public safety; emergency response; healthcare; Aberdeen Proving Ground-focused social issues; volunteerism and personal vision; leadership; meeting with county administration; and Academy wrap-up.
Participation in Local Stone Soup Event Helps Feed 1,800
Employee Michelle Young and sonFreedom employees Andrea Woodard, Danielle Hart and Mike MacPherson.
Volunteers from Freedom helped make the United Way of Central Maryland’s recent Stone Soup Event a success.
Staffers came out to Bel Air United Methodist Church on Saturday May 21 to help assemble meals for those in need. Some brought their children to help out as well!
Volunteers were able to prepare 150 casserole dishes to serve approximately 1800 people.
