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Community Community Impact

Impacting Education

When we invest in education, our Greater Sacramento community is strengthened, financial wellbeing grows, and the vitality of the region blossoms. That’s why education is a pillar of philanthropy for SAFE. SAFE promotes the benefits of education through scholarships, an innovative high school branch program, and direct donations to nonprofits who serve in the education space.

 

Supporting Youth Leadership

 

First Tee

First Tee uses the many character-building aspects of the game of golf to teach kids how to become better students and make healthy life choices. Developing self-confidence, life skills, and sportsmanship are just a few ways First Tee helps kids become a better version of themselves. SAFE is proud to support this program with an annual donation of $10,000.

 

 

Aerospace Museum

As a patron of the Aerospace Museum of California, SAFE helps support and expand operations, educational programs, and exhibitions celebrating the heritage of military and civilian aviation while enhancing awareness of aerospace science. The Aerospace Learning Center encourages students of all ages to explore, experience, and engage through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities.

 


 

 

Our Community Impact

SAFE Branches in High Schools

 

High school branches give hands-on experience...

To help students gain valuable hands-on experience, relevant job skills, and learn financial responsibility, SAFE developed partnerships with Mesa Verde, Rio Linda, and Cordova high schools to host and operate SAFE branches. Students participate in an immersive two-week internship at SAFE where they learn how to staff the branches and help their peers open and maintain checking and savings accounts. Then some students continue on and work in the high school branch throughout the school year.

...so young adults like Emilio can thrive.

Emilio first learned about financial wellness in the SAFE branch at Rio Linda High School. Through hands-on experience, Emilio discovered he liked banking, and decided to pursue it after graduation. Emilio is currently a Community Relations coordinator in SAFE’s Workplace Financial Wellness program providing the region’s largest employers with financial wellness services. SAFE has hired over 20 other high school branch employees through this program.

 

 

High School Sticker Design Contest

 


SAFE invited Sacramento-area high school students to design the 2023 stickers collection in a special contest. SAFE selected the top three designs that captured the theme: What Motivates YOU? Creators of the top three designs received $500, $300, and $100, respectively.

Learn more about the contest winners!
2023 Sticker Design Winning StickerWinning stickers from left to right:
1st, 2nd and 3rd place stickers.

 

 

 

Celebrating Achievement: SCOE Academic Decathlon

 

Collaboration, teamwork, and the ability to research are all qualities that make up winning teams. Participants in the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) Academic Decathlon know this first-hand. SAFE proudly sponsors this annual event to help students facilitate these skills and award scholarships to the winners at the annual awards ceremony.

Participants pose with CFO Chris HarrisParticipants pose with CFO Chris Harris.

 

 

 

Over $200,0000 in scholarships

 

SAFE awards $1,000 scholarships to aid graduating high school students with their college expenses. SAFE has provided more than 200 scholarships since 2011 to students pursuing higher education. Watch for SAFE’s annual call for scholarship entries every January for details on how to apply.

Scholarship recipients go on to attend a variety of excellent schools, including those in the Greater Sacramento region such as UC Davis, CSU Sacramento, and American River College.

 


 

UC Davis Medical Center

 

The cost of medical school is exorbitant. To help offset some of those costs, SAFE donates $20,000 yearly to the UC Davis medical program. In addition, each year two UC Davis medical students receive a four-year scholarship grant of $40,000 per student. SAFE also helps fund the EVO (EVOlution Through College) program that provides student athletes with career development opportunities.

Terry Tremelling, Amanda Merz, Jim Allen, Dave Roughton, Henry Wirz with UC Davis scholarship recipients.

 

Where they are now...

 

Baarkullah K. Awan

“I’m currently applying for a surgical intern year followed by a diagnostic radiology residency and hope to match somewhere in California. Regardless of where I complete my medical training, I know I want to return back home to my community in Sacramento as an attending physician.

I’m so grateful and humbled by SAFE’s contribution to my medical education over the last four years…It showed me that there was an amazing local organization looking out for me, in my corner, supporting me in every step of my journey.

To the SAFE family, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

 

Angelica Mikityuk

“In the past four years, I poured my mental energy and time into seeing how I can help the community around me. Most recently, I have created the first-ever addiction medicine month-long rotation at our medical school where students will learn how to treat opioid and other substance use disorders at local Sacramento substance use treatment clinics.

SAFE’s incredible support has reduced my student loan burden by several tens of thousands of dollars. I will be able to dedicate time and energy toward figuring out how to improve access to health and health outcomes of this community – time that would have otherwise been consumed by struggling to pay off continually growing loans. And it is all because of SAFE Credit Union and your heart for medical students.

I am deeply thankful for your generosity.”

 

 

 

Our Community Impact

Los Rios Community College District

 

Committed to giving $120,000...

SAFE committed to giving $120,000 over four years to the Los Rios Colleges Foundation to help fund several large initiatives. Those include STEM scholarships, a new STEM Center, and scholarships for those in the Los Rios Promise Program that provides full-time students two years of tuition-free education at a Los Rios Community College District campus.

...to create the STEM building and scholarships.

Thanks to SAFE’s support, we will be able to establish a new scholarship endowment as well as to offer vitally important scholarships to more than 120 Los Rios students over the next four years. This impact on our students will be far-reaching and will help so many of them reach their educational and career goals.

Brian King
Los Rios Community College District Chancellor

 

 

 

CSU Sacramento

 

SAFE enjoys a strong relationship with CSU Sacramento, providing financial wellness services and philanthropy. Recently, SAFE distributed $10,000 in $50 gift cards to college students at Sac State and community colleges who needed emergency funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

 

Foster Youth Education Fund

 

Former foster youths in college already faced numerous challenges. But when classes went completely online due to COVID-19, many were at a disadvantage because they didn’t have laptops. SAFE Credit Union was honored to provide a $10,000 grant to Foster Youth Education Fund to help them buy laptops so students could stay on top of their education.

 

 


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