Community Involvement

Congratulations to our two Member Appreciation Day $500 Giveaway winners, Kristen Smith and James Kotz!

The successful day was spearheaded by our outstanding Penn East volunteers, who’ve stayed true to our mission of making a positive impact on all of our members, our community, and one another!

Penn East has been busy this summer! A team of Penn East volunteers at the St. Joseph’s Summer Festival, where they were using more than just financial skills… the group was coupled with other volunteers to serve food orders and perform cash-handling duties. Our volunteers are always happy to lend a helping hand to our community leaders and have the chance to support a wonderful cause!

Penn East was invited to volunteer during Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW), held on Lycoming College’s campus. PFEW is a week long program for high school sophomores and juniors who want to learn about business concepts and enhance their practical skills (independence, teamwork, or personal responsibility) they can use in adulthood. Penn East was thrilled to mentor these young individuals through the program’s personal finance experience segment—a concept we know well! 

One educational perk Penn East offers is Banzai: a free, online financial literacy program provided to educators in the surrounding counties. Penn East offers this service to many schools (ranging from primary schools to colleges) as a digital tool; however, Penn East held its first in-person financial literacy presentation, in July. Penn East was invited to Kennedy Elementary School to educate students, who are attending a summer program. The group of 6th and 7th grade individuals learned the importance of credit, loans, budgeting and cybersecurity. Penn East believes in building a strong financial foundation through education and with Penn East’s partnership with Banzai, students will be able to enhance their financial and knowledge-building experience.

Penn East was one of many institutions that presented during Trehab Community Action Partnership’s Workforce Development program, which provides opportunities for adults, youth, and dislocated workers to enhance their skill sets and prepare for their next interview. Penn East and Trehab Community Action Partnership’s goal was to educate a group of young adults about basic financial knowledge they can rely on when they enter the workforce. Our staff used their expertise to explain the key differences between a credit union and a bank, account opening measures, checks, FinTech services, and credit scores. Penn East works with the community leaders to ensure individuals are equipped with the pertinent knowledge they will need for future success.

Penn East’s CEO, Marie Beggin, was accompanied by CrossState’s SVP of Government Relations and Advocacy, Christina Mihalik, to share homeownership advice to the public. On air with PA Newsmakers, both parties explained the housing market and significant trends in 2025 during the Homeownership 101 segment. Furthermore, they explained the critical relationship credit unions have with new homeowners.

Find out more in CrossState’s full article here: Navigating Homeownership? Credit Unions Are Here to Help – CrossState Credit Union Association

Penn East had the chance to experience Tunkhannock’s Founder’s Day and offer more than financial services to the community; volunteers supplied light refreshments and invited all visitors to win a prize as they shopped at other vendors. Penn East loved engaging with our members outside of our typical office hours; Penn East continues to prioritize the relationship between our members and banking services.    

Penn East is collaborating with Workforce Alliance to present financial literacy topics to teens in Wayne County. Specifically, this group of adolescents improved their understanding of key financial topics such as different financial institutions, accounts, loans, and digital tools they can utilize in the future.  Penn East believes it is imperative to promote beneficial habits and highlight financial tools to the youth to enable these individuals to make informed financial decisions. 

A few Penn East’s staff members volunteered their time at Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) at Weinberg Food Bank to arrange food items into packages for the elderly community. Not only were these individuals distributing food products among boxes, but Penn East (as a whole) was busy collecting jars of peanut butter and jelly leading up to this volunteering opportunity. The food drive was hosted for children, who face food insecurity in the summer months—a time when schools cannot offer meals.

Overall, Penn East has donated over 250 jars of peanut butter and jelly, along with packaging nearly 435 boxes! Penn East enjoys partnering with others, such as CEO at Weinberg Food Bank, while serving the community in an impactful way.