#FreedomToHelpChallenge 2021

Win $1,000 for your favorite local charity!

Freedom Federal Credit Union believes in people helping people and we are challenging Harford and Baltimore County volunteers, companies, and non-profits to participate in the award-winning 4th annual #FreedomToHelpChallenge photo contest this holiday season. Showcase volunteerism in Harford or Baltimore County for the chance to win a $1,000 charitable donation for your local non-profit of choice and other weekly prizes.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Like or Follow Freedom Federal Credit Union on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

2. Post public photos showcasing volunteerism in Harford or Baltimore County from November 1^st through December 9^th, 2021

3. Include a description of the volunteer effort along with the searchable hashtag, #FreedomToHelpChallenge on every post

4. Visit us on Facebook every Friday to participate in public voting to increase your chances to win! (Every like equals a vote!)

On Instagram? Tag Freedom @FreedomFedCU or DM us to follow you if your account is private.

IN 2021, The #FreedomToHelpChallenge was recognized by THE MARKETING ASSOCIATION OF CREDIT UNIONS WITH THEIR TOP CAMPAIGN AWARD AND RECEIVED A TRAILBLAZER AWARD IN SOCIAL MEDIA BY THE MD|DC CREDIT UNION ASSOCIATION. THE CHALLENGE IS ALSO A PAST RECIPIENT OF The Dora Maxwell Social Responsibility Community Service Award by THE CREDIT UNION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.

Read Full Contest Rules and Details Here.

Grand Prize Info: The Final Showdown

Public Voting for finalists will be available on Freedom’s Facebook page on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at 10:00 am for 24 hours from the start of the voting period. Every like equals a vote. Share with your friends to increase your votes. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced via Freedom’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram page on or before December 16^th, 2021. The Grand Prize is a $1,000 charitable donation.*

*Selected charity must be a registered 501(C)3 with a proven focus in Harford or Baltimore County.

Freedom Opens New Branch in Perry Hall

The New Location in Honeygo Village Center Officially Opened on August 21

Freedom Federal Credit Union opened a new full-service branch in the Perry Hall/White Marsh area on Saturday, August 21. The Credit Union marked the occasion with a community-wide grand opening celebration. The event was held at its new location, 5000 Honeygo Center Drive in the Honeygo Village Center, and featured music, food, games, and giveaways. This is the Credit Union’s first branch in Baltimore County, and sixth branch in Northeastern Maryland.

The branch features a full-service lobby, two drive-thru lanes, a 24/7 ATM, a free coin machine, provides ample parking, and allows for easy traffic flow and access. Financial Service Representatives are in-person, and onsite, to support all business and individual banking needs.

Earlier that week, Freedom held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, where their Leadership Team gathered with the Board of Directors, employees, local and state officials, representatives from Harford and Baltimore County Public Schools, and members of the MD|DC Credit Union Association to celebrate the Credit Union’s expansion.

Attendees heard from Freedom’s President and CEO, Mike MacPherson, along with remarks from Lynn Richardson, President of the Perry Hall/White Marsh Business Association and Councilman David Marks, 5^th District, Baltimore City Council, and Delegate Carl Jackson, District 8, House of Delegates.

“The opening of this new branch here in Honeygo Village Center is part of our commitment to grow our organization, and, as a result, to expand the many ways we have to serve this community, and our membership as a whole, as best we can,” stated Macpherson to the crowd. “We will grow, not to have the biggest bottom line but to be able to offer our members a quality financial experience with their best interests always top of mind.”

John Bratsakis, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Maryland and DC Credit Union Association, was also in attendance and shared some remarks on how the Credit Union Difference, and Freedom, will have a positive impact on consumers and businesses in the Perry Hall and White Marsh Community.

As a symbol of Freedom’s commitment to improving the Baltimore County community, MacPherson presented a donation on behalf of the Credit Union to The Education Foundation of Baltimore County’s Executive Director, Deborah Phelps.

Freedom Federal Credit Union was founded in 1953 as MATCOM Federal Credit Union. The Credit Union started in Baltimore and later moved to Harford County in support of the Edgewood Arsenal, which became part of Aberdeen Proving Ground. Freedom received their Harford County community charter in 1999 and changed their name to Freedom of Maryland Federal Credit Union in 2000. In 2020, Freedom’s charter was expanded to also serve those who live, work, worship, volunteer, or have family in Baltimore County.

Freedom to Host Grand Opening Celebration Saturday August 21

Freedom Federal Credit Union will be opening a new full-service branch in the Perry Hall/White Marsh area on Saturday, August 21. The Credit Union will mark the occasion with a community-wide grand opening celebration. This is the Credit Union’s first branch in Baltimore County, and sixth branch within Northeastern Maryland. The new branch will be located at 5000 Honeygo Center Drive in the Honeygo Village Center, adjacent to Weis Markets, and across from AnyTime Fitness, and Liberatore’s Ristorante.

The branch will feature a full-service lobby, two drive-thru lanes, a 24/7 ATM, a free coin machine, and will provide ample parking and easy traffic flow and access. Financial Service Representatives will be in-person, and onsite, to support all business and individual banking needs.

Freedom is pleased to announce the appointment of Marcus Johnson, as the location’s Branch Manager. Johnson has been a Freedom team member for almost ten years, most recently serving as Branch Manager at the Swan Creek location in Havre de Grace since 2017. Johnson has earned a reputation for his warm welcomes and reliable expertise.

Johnson is looking forward to this next chapter and becoming deeply involved in the Perry Hall/White March community. He brings with him from the existing Freedom team, Senior Financial Services Representative, Alexis Wyatt, who was previously a Senior Financial Services Representative at the Swan Creek Branch.

Local community members are encouraged to join the Credit Union on Saturday August 21^st, to learn more about Freedom, take advantage of special in-person only offers, and to celebrate the new branch opening. The grand opening celebration will feature music, food, giveaways, and family-friendly fun.

Freedom Federal Credit Union Elects New Board Chair

Bel Air, MD – Freedom Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce Lisa Ermatinger has been elected to serve as Chair of the Credit Union’s Board of Directors. Ermatinger has served on the Board since 2004 and has previously served as Secretary and Treasurer.

Ermatinger assumes the role from Mike Kaiser, who has stepped down after 12 years as Board Chair. Kaiser will remain on the Board as a Director.

Since joining Freedom’s Board of Directors, Ermatinger has also served on several essential internal committees, including the Asset Liability Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and the Budget & Compensation Committee.

“I am deeply honored to be elected as the new Board Chair and look forward to working with my colleagues to move Freedom’s mission forward,” said Ermatinger “I want to thank the Freedom Board of Directors for its confidence in me to serve our community, and I especially thank Mike Kaiser for his years of leadership and service. Together with our employees, volunteers, and community partners, we will continue to make a positive difference in Harford County. We will extend that impact into Baltimore County with the opening of our new branch coming soon to Perry Hall.”

Ermatinger has more than 30 years of experience in the financial and health insurance industry. and served on the Board of Directors for the Fidelity Health Group. Raised in Baltimore County, she is an alumna of the University of Baltimore’s Merrick School of Business. Ermatinger has lived in Harford County for more than 20 years with her husband and their four children.

Important Information Regarding Freedom Federal Credit Union Lobby Availability

Dear Members,

With the recent decision from state and local government to lift mask and social distancing mandates, Freedom has re-evaluated current branch lobby availability protocols. We are pleased to announce that effective June 1, 2021, lobby access in all Freedom branches will be available on a walk-in basis. This means that all banking transactions will be available in our lobbies, as well as through our drive-thrus, without the need for an appointment.

Also effective June 1, Branch hours will be as follows:

Park Ave, Fountain Green, and Forest Lakes

Lobby:

Monday-Thursday: 9am-5pm
Friday: 9am-6pm
Saturday: 9am-1pm

Drive-Thru

Monday-Friday. 9am-6pm
Saturday, 9am-1pm

Swan Creek

Lobby:

Monday-Thursday: 9am-5pm
Friday: 9am-6pm
Saturday: 9am-1pm

Edgewood:

Lobby and Drive Thru

Monday-Wednesday: 8am-3pm
Thursday-Friday: 8am-5pm

To reduce the amount of time you are in a branch, we continue to encourage you to use our Appointment Scheduler or call 800-440-4120 to make an appointment for non-teller transactions such as opening a new membership, applying for a loan or credit card and setting up a new share certificate, Money Market, or IRA account.

PLEASE NOTE: For security reasons, as of June 1, you will be required to remove any face coverings such as masks, gaiters, hats and/or sunglasses upon entering any Freedom branch. There will be no exceptions to this rule. If you are uncomfortable with removing your mask, please continue to use the drive-thru, call us at 800-440-4120, or use online or mobile banking.

The health and safety of our employees and members continues to be an absolute priority. As such, you will still see plexiglass partitions at each teller station and service desk. Employees may be wearing masks and gloves during your transaction. Hand sanitizer will also be available throughout the branches.

So much has changed over the last year but our commitment to you, our members, has only gotten stronger. We continue to expand opportunities to enhance access for our members with technology, new locations, like the new branch coming soon to Honeygo Village Center, and the expansion of access within our current branches.

As always, we thank you for your ongoing trust and confidence in Freedom.

Sincerely,

Michael MacPherson
President and CEO
Freedom Federal Credit Union

New Freedom Federal Credit Union Branch Coming to Baltimore County – CEO Letter

May 3, 2021

Dear Freedom Members,

In July of last year, I wrote to you announcing that Freedom Federal Credit Union was expanding our field of membership to include Baltimore County. Over the last several months, that expansion has gone very well and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

In that announcement, I also made mention that we would look at opportunities to enhance access for our members, whether through technology or new, physical locations.

As a result of this, and through a comprehensive review, I am very happy to announce that Freedom will be opening a new branch in Baltimore County, in the Perry Hall/White Marsh area.
The new branch will be located at 5000 Honeygo Center Drive in the Honeygo Village Center, adjacent to Weis Markets, and across from AnyTime Fitness, and Liberatore’s Ristorante. This will be Freedom’s first branch in Baltimore County, and our sixth branch in total.

Our Honeygo Branch will feature a full-service lobby, two drive-thru lanes, a 24/7 ATM, a free coin machine, and will provide ample parking and easy traffic flow and access. Financial Service Representatives will be in-person, and onsite, to support all business and individual banking needs.

This is a significant step for our entire membership. Not only does it ensure that we provide a physical location to a thriving business and residential community that wants to do their banking in-person, but also provides us more ability to truly deliver on the Freedom Advantage, our unique service offering, to the Northeast Baltimore County communities.

Because of the way Freedom is structured, as a financial cooperative, the health and strength of the organization is dependent on the membership being engaged and utilizing our products and services. The more members that are an active part of Freedom, and using our products and services, the better the ability to offer lower cost loan options, higher deposit rates, better technology and more community support. We will be able to increase our membership, and better serve all our members, in both Harford and Baltimore County.

This past year has been a challenge for all of us. For Freedom, although much of it was focused on helping members through the pandemic, we decided to proceed with our planned expansion into Baltimore County, to give our members, and the communities we serve, more opportunities to conduct business, in the name of convenience and a better banking experience.

The Honeygo Branch, which formerly housed First National Bank, is currently undergoing renovations, and is expected to open to the public in late summer. I will share more details with you when plans are more formalized. In the meantime, please follow us on our Facebook page to see progress updates, and the latest information around the branch opening.

I want to thank all of you for your ongoing trust and confidence in Freedom, and I hope you share in my excitement regarding our new branch. I look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

Michael MacPherson
President and CEO
Freedom Federal Credit Union

Freedom Federal Credit Union Opening New Branch in Perry Hall / White Marsh

May 3, 2021

The new branch will mark Freedom Federal Credit Union’s first Baltimore County location, and sixth location overall.

Freedom Federal Credit Union has announced plans to open a new full-service branch in the Perry Hall/White Marsh area. This is the Credit Union’s first branch in Baltimore County, and sixth branch within Northeastern Maryland. The new branch will be located at 5000 Honeygo Center Drive in the Honeygo Village Center, adjacent to Weis Markets, and across from AnyTime Fitness, and Liberatore’s Ristorante.

The branch opening is the next step in Freedom’s expansion of their field of membership into Baltimore County, which the Credit Union announced in July 2020, following approval from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Since then, Freedom membership has been open to businesses and any individuals who live, work, worship, volunteer, attend school, or have family in Baltimore County. Freedom now serves all of Harford and Baltimore Counties.

The expansion into Baltimore County was a logical step in the Credit Union’s evolution. Freedom was already serving over 3,000 members that are Baltimore County residents and were able to join because of some affiliation with Harford County.

“This is a great milestone in Freedom Federal Credit Union’s history, as well as a monumental opportunity for our members, and the residents of both Baltimore and Harford Counties,” stated Mike MacPherson, President and CEO of Freedom. “The Honeygo Branch provides us our first physical space within Baltimore County, and ensures that we can truly deliver the ‘Freedom Advantage,’ our unique credit union service offering, to the greater Baltimore County communities. Not only will we be able to better serve a larger group of Maryland residents and businesses who we feel are currently being underserved, but we can better enhance the progress and growth of our Credit Union, which will benefit all our members going forward.”

MacPherson continued: “I think it’s important to emphasize that Freedom has not only risen to the challenge of the day, but even in the worst of times, continues to move forward in our vision and mission. While much of this last year has been focused on helping members through the pandemic, we decided to proceed with our expansion into Baltimore County, which will further allow us to offer lower cost loan options, higher deposit rates, better technology and access, and more community support across both Harford and Baltimore Counties. Our focus has been on expanding and enhancing every avenue and technology to allow our members more access to conduct business wherever needed, in-person, or online, all in the name of creating a better member experience.”

The new site in the Honeygo Village Center, which formerly housed First National Bank, is currently undergoing renovations, and is expected to open to the public in late summer with a grand opening event to be announced at a later date.

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.

#NationalNursesWeek

LET’s CELEBRATE NATIONAL NURSES week!

WIN A $25 Amazon eGIFT CARD FOR A HARFORD OR BALTIMORE COUNTY NURSE – 5 CHANCES TO WIN!

Look for our #NationalNursesWeek Nomination Post on our social media pages starting May 6th, 2021 running until 12 pm Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

If you are a nurse or would like to nominate a nurses who lives or works in Harford/Baltimore County…

1. POST the nurse’s name and agency/organization in the comments on our Facebook, Twitter , or Instagram (@FreedomFedCU) post
(Feel free to include a picture or comment about your nomination!)

2. FOLLOW our social media page

3. SHARE our social media post

We will draw a winner Wednesday, May 12th in the afternoon!

Full Contest Rules / Details

Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to get started.

*Nurses may live and/or work in Harford or Baltimore County. Nurses are welcome to enter themselves. One nomination per person, but nurses can be entered multiple time by other individuals to increase their chances of winning.