What's in a face?

Are you the type of person who likes to put a name with a face? Or, maybe you've become comfortable talking to someone on the phone then you meet them in person and think, "Wow, they sound so much different then they look."

Well, you're in for a treat. Look for the new face of simplecents.org coming on Monday, September 27, 2010. The blog is changing its face, but not its character. It still has all the archived articles, comments, and your friendly bloggers will be there, too. The new site is member friendly, provides you more articles to read at a glance, and gives you another chance to connect to your credit union.

Connecting with our members is an important part of who we are. Recently, we uploaded a new website, launched a Facebook page, and a presence with Twitter. Giving the blog its face lift was the next natural step, which now brings Life Simplified full circle.

You will still access the site as before and all your RSS feeds will continue uninterrupted. And, your favorite bloggers remain... faces unchanged. (Couldn't get them to spring for a new face lift for the COO - grin.)

Until next week ... look for our new face at the same blog place!

Afro 101

 An Afro, also known as '"fro", "natural", afro-puffs (see cute kid below), etc. is a hairstyle worn by people with hair that has not been altered with hot combs, flat irons, chemicals or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.

I am sure you have been waiting for the opportunity to learn how to create your very-own afro-centric look...well wait no more. The hairstyle is created by combing the hair away from the scalp, allowing the hair to extend out from the head in a large, rounded shape, much like a halo, cloud or ball. In persons with naturally curly or straight hair, the hairstyle is typically created with the help of creams, gels or other solidifying liquids to hold the hair in place.

Particularly popular in the African-American community of the mid-to-late 1960s, the hairstyle is often shaped and maintained with the assistance of a wide-toothed comb known as an afro-pic. The afro has made a strong come back!

This concludes your lesson on afros, any questions?  

Disco down to your local credit union branch today!

For those who remember, the early 70’s fashion trend for men started with long hair, frayed bell bottoms, and very wide ties.

As the decade progressed, this trend gave way to the disco-inspired leisure suit made of some non-breathable, synthetic material. In retrospect, fashion trends seem to fade in…and then out…in what seems like an instant. Do we think that online banking will follow the same “here today, gone tomorrow” trend?

All indicators are no. Most industry analysis shows that Online Banking and Payment Manager (South Carolina Federal Credit Unions online bill pay service) continue to grow in adoption among consumers. According to Fiserv's 2010 Consumer Billing and Payment Trends Survey, these online services are growing at a faster pace than the Internet. The survey also found that online bill payment users now represent a broad demographic in age and income.

Of course, if you follow my posts, you know that I’m an avid proponent of Online Banking and Payment Manager. Are you? If not, why not take the online challenge this month: Just stop by one of our South Carolina Federal Credit Union Branches and ask for a demo of Payment Manager. In fact, bring a bill with you. Maybe an electric or phone bill. Your friendly Branch Service Representative will be glad to show you how easy it is to pay that bill in just seconds. They’ll also explain how this service is SECURE and FREE for credit union members.

Many of us still have some of those old fashion icons buried deep in our closets. Memories from years past. For me, it’s my maroon leisure suit. Have you adopted 21st century banking best-practices like Online Banking and Payment Manager? If not, then grab a bill, put on that old leisure suit and disco down to your nearby credit union branch today.

Big Hair and Shoulder Pads

Photos are wonderful things.  They help us relive precious memories - vacations, weddings, babies, old friends.   They also help us relive fashions of all kinds.   

Used to be that photos were kept nice and neat in photo albums, tucked between the plastic or maybe neatly inserted into scrapbooks with four little corner pieces to hold the picture in place. You pulled out the ones you wanted to share.  Not any more! Facebook and FlickR have changed all that.   Now photos can be shared  at any time for all your friends to see.

Not long ago my college roommate sent me this picture on Facebook.  You can tell by the hairstyle and shoulder pads that this photo was taken in the 80's.  Was I planning on trying out for the football team with those pads?  And what's with the wing-like bangs?  Or are those feathers?  

But once I get over myself with the hair and clothes, I realize that I love this picture.  Not because of me, but because it speaks to a simpler time of life.  Just seeing that big, toothless smile on my youngest son brings a smile to my face.  And the mischievous grin on my middle son - even the almost-teenager-don't-smile-for-nobody look on the oldest one gives me a chuckle.

So once you get over yourself from a fashion point of view, what's the best thing about your old photos?  

Reflections from a Day of Caring

To close out this week, some reflections on the Day of Caring from two South Carolina Federal Credit Union team members, Kimberly and Linda:

This year we had the opportunity to participate in the Day of Caring sponsored by Trident United Way. Our task for the day was to assist at the Lowcountry Orphan Relief (LOR) Clothes Closet.

LOR is a non-profit organization that provides clothing, books, toys and school supplies to children who have been victims of abuse or neglect. Those of us who volunteered from the credit union were tasked with sorting clothes, organizing books and preparing orders to be delivered to children.

All of the credit union volunteers at LOR were mothers and our feelings about our experience were the same: Working at LOR allowed us to see firsthand what goes on behind the scenes to help children feel loved and taken care of in some of the worst of situations. We all understand the need to provide love and affection to children so they feel protected and cared for. The children associated with LOR don’t have many things to call their own. Our hope is that these bags containing new clothes and a stuffed animal provide comfort to a child who has been through a difficult situation.

Because our experience at this Day of Caring brought the issue of child welfare to the forefront of our minds, we all worked together to fill as many orders as possible during our time at LOR, which, in turn, would help as many children as possible.

The six of us that volunteered pledged to come back to LOR to work with the ladies running the organization. We all enjoyed our experience and look forward to volunteering at Lowcountry Orphan Relief again in the near future.

A Sense of Community

Sitting in for Troy, guest blogger - Elizabeth Clark recaps her experience at this year's Day of Caring event.

Author Anthony J D’Angelo said that “without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.” A sense of community is what Day of Caring brings to all of those who are involved. I love participating in Day of Caring, and feel honored to be part of the largest Day of Caring effort in the nation. The estimates for the time, materials and labor donated come to about 1 million dollars, but the feeling of community involvement and pride are worth much, much more.

This year, I served as photographer for Windsor Hill Arts Infused Elementary School’s projects and as photographer I was able to interact with all of the participants. It was hot, and there were some dirty jobs, but all I saw were smiles and people having a good time. I even jumped in on the action staining a bench while I was waiting on my camera battery to recharge.

Day of Caring never fails to remind me why I love this community, and why I am proud to have an employer that supports events like Day of Caring. It was an amazing day, and I have the pictures to prove it!

People helping people

People Helping People is not only a common phrase used to describe the credit union difference. It is evidently the motivating drive as to why more than 6,000 people decided they would dedicate their time yesterday to help fellow community members.

The Post and Courier states:

"More than 6,000 people on Tuesday took a day from their lives or their jobs to help somebody else, in 300 different locations across the three counties around Charleston. The United Way's Day of Caring is an annual, community-wide helping effort by organized groups of volunteers. It's part of a massive effort that extends through the 1,300 local United Way organizations across the nation. The number of Charleston-area volunteers is considered one of the largest turnouts in the country."

If you did not have the opportunity to participate in this massive effort yesterday, Trident United Way makes it really easy to find an opportunity that fits your particular interest! Hopefully this event served as a catalyst to increase volunteerism regularly within our communities.

Where were you?

September 11, 2001, is a day that no one will forget. This past Saturday marked 9 years since that tragic day. I will never forget where I was that day. I was in my English Literature class at Trident Tech. Our teacher heard the news and turned the television in the classroom on. I could not believe what I was seeing. I got chills and teary eyed. I will never forget where I was and how I felt. Where were you on that day?

After you reflect on that question, ask yourself “Where are you today?” Are you volunteering, giving to charity, helping a friend or loved one?

Today we are celebrating Day of Caring. A day where we volunteer and help in memory of all those who lost their lives and lost loved ones nine years ago. Nothing can erase the pain we all felt or still feel today, but at least we have a day like today where we can put our emotions in to action and help put a smile on someone’s face.

Where will you be today?

Backpack Buddies

Personally, I'm a huge fan of food!  I like buying it, preparing it, serving it - even cleaning up afterwards is ok. I'm the health nut Grammy who gives the grandkids fruit and green peas for snacks instead of fries and candy!  So when a kid is hungry my first impulse is to feed him/her!

It may seem hard to believe, but hunger is a serious problem in South Carolina. Thanks to the Lowcountry Food Bank, some families'' hunger needs are helped by Backpack Buddies.  

Backpack Buddies is a program for public school kids who qualify for free/reduced lunches.  Since school lunchrooms aren't open on the weekend, Backpack Buddies provides a "backpack" of healthy snacks for these kids to enjoy over the weekend.  

South Carolina Federal has for the last couple of years been a Backpack Buddies sponsor.  We pack about 400 "backpacks" worth of snacks each month, and the Lowcountry Food Bank distributes them to area schools.  

When I give my time on Tuesday, September 14, to pack these snacks, maybe I'll sneak in a little love note or two!   Where do you plan to volunteer?

Never too young to make a difference...

When we think about people starting charities, we often think of adults, business people, community leaders, etc...We rarely think about young teenagers starting charities.

I would like to highlight a story that one of my co-workers shared with me. It’s about two young sisters that turned a family hobby into a charity in memory of their grandfather who passed away from esophageal cancer in 2003.

It started off small, but their passion for what they believed in made it turn into something huge! Take a moment to read the story. You will truly be inspired.

Have you ever planted a small seed that bloomed into something great?