Pamela greening & michelle Reynolds
Business Model, Theory of Change
Growing Oaks has been organized to assist individuals in their navigation from economic dilemma or insolvency to fiscally secure family life and productive community citizenship. We collaborate with business owners and non-profit leaders to provide resources to their employees and clients in the areas of financial education, support and financial services as part of their employee assistance/casework.
The vision of Growing Oaks began with one employer’s intention to aid its employees as they struggled to solve their family financial problems and overcome overwhelming amounts of accumulated debt. A lack of understanding of sound money management principles and techniques, often coupled with a transition from a period of incarceration or time spent in a substance abuse recovery program or a bout of medical complications, repeatedly resulted in stressed, distracted and unproductive employees. The employer began offering free family financial classes combined with individualized support, assistance with transportation and with evaluating housing options and witnessed a dramatic positive change in the employees that participated and implemented the recommended strategies. Others, outside of the employer’s company, observed the success of the program and expressed a desire to see the program expanded and offered to a wider group of families.
Growing Oaks Association provides educational resources, plan implementation support and mentoring. The Association facilitates the donation and deployment of transportation resources, assists with exploring housing options and maintains a network for referrals for services including other social services, work reentry programs, employment and legal assistance.
Growing Oaks Federal Credit union is a federally insured credit union, chartered in August 2020, that distinctly returns to the cornerstone purpose for which credit unions were created, to assist the unserved and underserved. The credit union does not necessarily compete with mainstream financial institutions, but rather fills the gap between mainstream financial institutions and other financing facilities.
Biggest Organizational Needs
Identifying strategic options, new perspectives, honest evaluations and feedback, gaining as much clarity in execution as we have in vision. We want to connect with non-profits and businesses to conduct classes and offer financial services to their clients/employees, as well as recruit additional class facilitators and mentors from within the non-profit/employer to be the onsite point of contact.
Redemptive Opportunity
Association: While money is on deposit at the Credit Union, we can use it to move families forward. Unlike current local financial institution, community members will know how their deposit is being used. Funds are insured and everyone will have access to them whenever needed.
Credit Union: Access to credit is not based on a credit score or the past. It is based on the present and each community member’s understanding of money management; individuals may need to take a class to qualify for the loan and we provide a free behavioral assessment to help each person understand themselves better.
FELLOW BIO
Pamela Greening is one of the Founders of Growing Oaks and serves as the President/CEO of Growing Oaks Federal Credit Union and Executive Director of Growing Oaks Association. In 2017, Pam repurposed her 40-year banking career, engaged her knack for making order out of chaos, and joined her Pastor husband, Fred, in pursuit of the answer to the question “if God had a bank, what would it be like?”. Working together, with interactive education as the foundation, the custom curriculum entitled Elevation Station was designed and launched in 2018. Pam began work on the Credit Union charter application in late 2017 and NCUA granted the founding group of seven leaders their charter in 2020, the one and only federal credit union charter granted in the US in that year.
Pam was born and raised in Chicago but found her true home in Oklahoma in 1999. She lives on 5 acres in Goldsby, with Fred, 2 horses, a Boston Terrier and Parrot within driving distance of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
CO-FELLOW BIO
Michelle Reynolds is the Director of Education at Growing Oaks Association. After more than 32 years in a banking career, Michelle found her passion teaching personal financial stewardship at Elevation Station. The delight to see others realize they have potential to take control of their financial future when they allow God to be involved is so fulfilling. Michelle was born and raised in Oklahoma and moved to Washington in 2019, where she met Pam and Fred Greening and was introduced to Elevation Station.
She and her husband, Chris, enjoy spending time with their two adult children, daughter-in-law and 2 granddogs along with almost a dozen cattle.