Hancock Recognized for Teaching Financial Empowerment at La Crosse County Jail
in Partnership with Western Technical College’s Project Proven
LA CROSSE, Wis.—April 24, 2023—On April 21, Governor and First Lady Evers recognized Zach Hancock, Senior Central Consumer Loan Officer with Marine Credit Union, with a 2022 Governor’s Financial Literacy Award.
“Financial education gives people the tools they need to achieve their dreams, expand their opportunities, and attain financial security for themselves and their families,” said Gov. Evers. “The dedication of these individuals and organizations to help Wisconsinites become more financially secure and achieve their dreams is commendable and helps ensure not only the future success of individuals and families, but our entire state.”
Read the full news release from the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Financial Institutions.
“Zach has been an MCU Foundation volunteer teaching financial empowerment in the La Crosse County Jail in partnership with Project Proven at Western Technical College for over a year now,” said Majel Hein, Director of Financial Education with the Marine Credit Union Foundation and 2020 Recipient of the Governor’s Financial Literacy Legacy Award. “He is serving an audience often forgotten and providing them compassionate education, and more importantly, hope to advance and change their lives.”
“Zach brings a fresh perspective to his class presentations for our student population,” said Willa MacKenzie, Adult Basic Education Teacher. “The stories of financial experiences that he shares provide guidance to students who may have had financial barriers in their past. From understanding and improving a credit score, to developing savings plans, and SMART goals, Zach exemplifies a professional and caring approach to teaching financial literacy. Our thanks go out to the Marine Credit Union Foundation for letting Zach come into our jail classroom.”
With roots that trace back to 1931, Marine Credit Union is a full-service, member-owned financial cooperative serving more than 78,000 members across Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. Headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Marine employs more than 400 people, operates 20 locations and holds over $1 billion in assets. Guided by its mission, “to advance the lives of people from a place of financial need to a life of ownership and giving back in our communities,” Marine looks at its members’ individual finances less as a number and more as a journey. The Marine Credit Union Foundation has donated more than $1.4 million to over 1,300 charitable causes since 2014. Marine earned Great Place to Work™ Certification in 2022 and Juntos Avanzamos designation in 2017 for its commitment to the Hispanic community. For more information, go to www.marinecu.com.
Since 2014, the MCU Foundation has given over $1.4 million to more than 1,300 charitable causes and in the areas that Marine services in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa. Marine employees have donated more than $600,000, and Marine members have donated more than $300,000. Four in five Marine employees contribute to the MCU Foundation through an automatic payroll deduction. The credit union matches each employee donation – for every dollar an individual donates, Marine donates two.
Project Proven is a program offered by the Learner Support and Transition Division of Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wis., which serves hundreds of students every year. The program’s goal is to reduce recidivism by assisting justice-involved individuals transition to the community through career and educational opportunities.