The third quarter of 2022 brought lots of excitement and productivity to the CCCSMD team! Here are just a few highlights from the past few months.
In September, the leadership team gathered at our headquarters in Columbia, MD. They had two days of team building, strategic planning and project management, followed by a quarterly Board Meeting with our dynamic Board of Directors. Pictured from left are: Helene Raynaud, President and CEO, Susan Fitz, Vice President of Counseling, Programs and Compliance, Emily Hickox, Vice President of Marketing and Community Outreach and Chantyse Nickens, Director of Operations and Creditor Relations. The team looks forward to gathering again in the near future!
Two of our Florida based team members, Judy Mackenzie, Community Development Officer, and Sandra Rains, Community Outreach Manager, attended the Florida Housing Conference where they were able to connect with community partners. They spent time with representatives from Financial Institutions – including Truist and SeaCoast Bank – as well as community groups, such as Habitat for Humanity. During the conference, Judy was fortunate enough to meet celebrity personality Tyler Merritt and get a copy of his book, I Take My Coffee Black. This conference helped our team build community relationships while learning about the emerging housing issues in the state of Florida.
Team members Helene Raynaud, Susan Fitz and Chantyse Nickens attended the NFCC Connect conference in Washington, DC where they gained key industry insights that will help CCCSMD best serve its clients. They connected with old friends and celebrated together when our President and CEO, Helene Raynaud, was elected as a Member Agency Representative on the NFCC Board of Trustees for a 3-year term. In this role, she will be informing the NFCC about member agency needs and will be involved in defining the long-term strategic direction of the credit and financial counseling sector. We are very proud of her new position!
We were so proud of our team member, Armand Goytia, for being featured by Howard County in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month! We love this excerpt from the piece Howard County published on Armand:
When asked, “what do you think is one obstacle that the Hispanic community continues to face, and is there a solution?” Armand said, “I feel that the lack of financial literacy continues to cause hardships and prevent families in the Hispanic community from reaching their goals or even pursuing their dreams. I attribute much of this to the language barrier that exists for many. The frustrating part for me is that most of them are closer than they think to achieving financial stability and all they need is a bit of guidance to move forward. The practical solution is to reach out to a trusted and reputable source and learn what your options are.”
One of our amazing employees, Cierra Chamblee, received beautiful flowers from a client that she’d been helping since 2019. In that time, our client paid off her credit card debt and became a homeowner. We love helping our clients reach their financial goals! Great job, Cierra!
We’ve partnered with LifeCents! LifeCents is an award winning personal financial wellness program that has helped thousands of people reach their goals. With LifeCents, you’ll have the knowledge, skills, and confidence you need to take control of your financial life. Visit cccsmd.lifecents.com to get started on your own interactive and personal financial journey. You are going to love having a Playbook that helps to make the right moves for your financial future!
