YNCU

A cooperative with a commitment to the community: YNCU Paris

Paris Branch Manager Sandra Sousa says YNCU is committed to being a good neighbour—and the branch’s friendly service and community initiatives show they’re well on their way.

Sandra Sousa, Branch Manager at YNCU’s Paris location at 75 Grand River Street North, Paris.

Sandra Sousa worked at the big banks for nearly two decades before landing a Branch Manager position at YNCU. First in Mitchell, Ont., then in downtown Paris - and she’s never looked back.

“To come to a credit union is totally different,” she said. “I love the experience of it, the members, just everything about it.”

YNCU, which stands for “Your Neighbourhood Credit Union,” is a licensed credit union that operates 18 branches across Southwestern Ontario. As a cooperative, YNCU is owned by its clients – or members, as they’re called. They offer all the services of a traditional bank, but with increased answerability to their membership. The YNCU is managed by a member-elected board of directors and profits stay close to home—returned to members through dividends and invested back into the credit union and branch communities.

The Paris branch has just under 1500 memberships—a number that Sousa says is growing every year.

YNCU has a long history of serving the County of Brant and surrounding areas.

Before merging with the Waterloo Regional Credit Union and forming YNCU in 2004, the Paris branch was part of the Brant Community Credit Union, a smaller organization that had begun among the workers of agricultural equipment manufacturers like Massey-Ferguson in Brantford. When these industries were shuttered in the 1980s, the credit union stepped up to help manage pensions and severance.

"The community is the core of everything we do here.”

“There’s such a strong sense of pride and history here, and we’re always proud to be part of that story.” said Sousa.

The Paris branch currently employs four people (all of whom live in Paris) and is a certified living wage employer.

“Our team lives, works and plays in Paris,” said Sousa. "The community is the core of everything we do here.”

Sousa is often the driving force behind the branch’s many community initiatives - like its Earth Day Spring cleanup, an annual event to tidy up the downtown area.

Just recently, the branch hosted a lemonade stand fundraiser for Child and Family Services of Grand Erie at Jay’s No Frills in Paris.

“We’re always trying to, you know, be in the community as much as we can,” said Sousa. “We want to make sure where we work, we’re happy, our members are happy, our downtown is happy.”

Sousa says financial literacy education is one of the biggest ways the branch seeks to help out.

“Financial literacy is something that everyone kind of needs to know a little bit about— there’s so many people that are scared to ask, and there’s no shame in asking,” she said.

In March, they partnered with the Brant OPP for a campaign to educate seniors about the dangers of fraud - later on, they produced a PSA video about navigating power of attorney starring Sousa.

Sousa says initiatives like these, and interacting with members, are the best part of the job.

“I love my members that walk in. We know them by name, we get to know their families, their extended families even,” she said.

Sousa says this all comes down to YNCU being a co-op. Since the customers own the organization, there’s a stronger sense of respect and community between the membership and employees.

“The most important difference is that we’re not a bank, we’re a cooperative,” she said.

“When you come in, we want to make sure that we treat you like family, not like a number.”

YNCU is located at 75 Grand River Street North in downtown Paris. You can find out more about the branch’s community initiatives on their Facebook page @YourNCU