Community leaders cut the ribbon last week on the first credit union ATM in Southwest Fresno. EECU photo

Educational Employees Credit Union (EECU) celebrated the opening of its newest ATM last week at 1245 C Street in Southwest Fresno. 

Credit union staff and community leaders gathered to celebrate the opening of the only full-service credit union ATM in Southwest Fresno, a much-needed and welcomed service to the area, according to a news release.

Event speakers included Pastor DJ Criner, Fresno Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Landon, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher, and Fresno County Board of Supervisors District 1 Supervisor Brian Pacheco. In addition, many local community leaders and the representatives of several elected officials joined the event.

EECU’s President/CEO, Elizabeth J. Dooley, shared that the credit union has deep roots in Southwest Fresno and is thrilled that EECU was able to work with local leaders and community partners for the project. These partnerships made opening a new ATM accessible to those who work, live, shop, or frequent the area.

“Our full-service ATM will make financial services more accessible to people who live and work in the West Fresno area and serve to create a more inclusive financial future for all,” Dooley said in a press release.

Its first date of service was May 16, and the ATM has had a large number of transactions—more than 4,000—demonstrating the acute need for services in the area.

DJ Criner, senior pastor at Saint Rest Baptist Church and adjunct professor at Fresno Pacific University, played a crucial role in helping EECU select the right location for the new ATM and expressed enthusiasm and appreciation for the greater access to banking services provided by the ATM.

“Southwest Fresno historically is disenfranchised. It is a community that has been forgotten and left behind, not just with the city but our state,” Pastor Criner said in a press release. “What EECU has done is they have come in to invest and say that the soil in the southwest is not contaminated; it’s actually fertile. You just have to have someone that believes in the soil, and we believe EECU has reminded us that this soil is not contaminated.”

Providing convenient access to financial services has been an ongoing effort for EECU, and the credit union shared that it now has a mobile branch. The mobile branch will travel to various locations, bringing banking services directly to people across local urban and rural areas.

“Our mobile branch will travel to areas the credit union serves where we don’t have a physical branch office. It will provide the same services as a traditional branch office and even has an ATM,” Dooley said.