Freedom Federal Credit Union Relocates Branch in Havre de Grace

The New Swan Creek Location in Ames Plaza Shopping Center Officially Opens on April 26^th

New Swan Creek Location in Havre de Grace — Freedom Federal Credit Union’s new Swan Creek Branch is conveniently located in Havre de Grace on Pulaski Highway close to Aberdeen, APG, and many local Havre de Grace businesses and residential neighborhoods.

Havre de Grace, MD – Freedom Federal Credit Union will be relocating their Swan Creek branch in Havre de Grace branch to a new full-service location less than half a mile away. The new Swan Creek branch will be located at 2025 Pulaski Highway in Ames Plaza Shopping Center, adjacent to Seidenberg Protzko Eye Associates, Harford County’s Office of Economic Development, The GroundFloor, Swan Creek Veterinary Clinic, Upper Chesapeake Health Outpatient Offices, among many other local businesses.

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

Emily Abts has been appointed the location’s new Branch Manager. Abts has been a Freedom team member for almost seven years, most recently serving as Assistant Branch Manager at the former Swan Creek location in Havre de Grace since 2021. Abts has earned a reputation for her cheerful disposition and reliable expertise.

Abts and her team are looking forward to the move. “The new branch is going to be a real bonus to our members,” stated Abts. “It’s more accessible, and I know our members are going to appreciate the efficiency and ease of having a drive-thru, along with all the other amenities we’re planning to offer at our new location.”

“We want our members to know that we’ve listened to their feedback and are committed to exceptional member service. This new branch is absolutely a reflection of that commitment. We can’t wait to see our friends, old and new, walk through the doors and see it for themselves,” commented Abts.

Thanks to the branch’s larger footprint, Freedom is planning to offer a wider array of financial services to its members. Those plans will be finalized in the coming months. The branch will hold its first Community Shred Day from 9am – 12pm on Saturday, June 3^rd, where anyone can bring up to four boxes of financial documents to safely shred on site for free. The Credit Union will also be hosting a family-friendly celebration in honor of its grand opening and celebrating 70 years of service to the community on May 20^th from 10am-1pm.

The new branch will be open on April 26^th at 9am. In preparation for the move, the former location in the Swan Harbor Village shopping center will be closed April 24^th and April 25^th.

“Even as we continue to invest in technology that makes access to banking easier and more available from anywhere, we have not lost sight of the importance of the human connection,” Mike MacPherson, Freedom’s President and CEO, shared in a statement. “The relocation of our Swan Creek branch to a bigger and better location is part of our commitment to enhance and provide the best in-person member experience.”

How Do We Thrive?

You may wonder why we are so committed to our philanthropic endeavors. Why we focus on outreach and the good we can do for our members and in the community. Why our strategic focus is about experience and doing what’s right. Why our goals are set to generate the financial stability and income necessary to support our philosophy of people helping people. Well, I was recently watching a program on Netflix called, David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. In it was a quote I found quite poignant and an applicable answer to those very questions.

“A species can only thrive when everything else around it thrives too. We can solve the problems we now face by embracing this reality. If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us. It’s now time for our species to stop simply growing, to establish a life on our planet in balance with nature. To start to thrive.” – Sir David Attenborough

Change a few words and…

We can only thrive when everyone else around us thrives too. We can solve the problems we now face by embracing this reality. If we take care of others, others will take care of us. It’s now time for us to stop simply growing, to be something bigger not just something big, to establish a balance with our community and start to thrive.

What Seems Unimportant

I made the most important mistake at the most unimportant time. That was the phrase I uttered in a dream a few weeks ago. I was apologizing for something and said, “I’m sorry I made the most important mistake at the most unimportant time.” It’s a phrase I have not been able to shake. I kept thinking about it over and over trying to gain some insight as to what it might mean. I think I figured it out.

There are no unimportant times and there are no unimportant actions. Everything we say and do matters, on some level, in every moment. Even if it seems a trivial or mundane act, even the simplest thing, can have a major impact. What I think my subconscious mind was trying to tell me is that you can’t take anything for granted; a smile at a passerby, the door you don’t hold, the stranger you help, the person you judge, you never know what that will mean or do to someone else. We all have a responsibility to think about the messages we send, the values we convey and the world we help influence because too many today place personal desire or want above the greater good.

I know nobody’s perfect. We just need to remember that actions/words have consequences and, even when you think something is unimportant, it could be the most important mistake you make.

Benjamin Franklin offered a poetic perspective:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost,
For want of a rider the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.