People Driven Credit Union Receives Alloya's Inaugural Next Chapter Award
Naperville, Ill. (October 27, 2026) – As part of its Celebrate Your Story initiative, Alloya is proud to announce that People Driven Credit Union (PDCU) of Michigan has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Next Chapter Award, which recognizes a credit union whose story is an exceptional example of the Power of Cooperation and its positive impact on members and communities.
Selected from the inspiring stories shared by credit unions across the nation, PDCU was chosen for its outstanding commitment to serving members, strengthening its community and demonstrating the credit union philosophy of people helping people. As the first Next Chapter Award recipient, PDCU will receive an additional $10,000 from Alloya to be provided to the charity of its choice.
In 2024, the staff at PDCU recognized a critical issue in the communities they serve: While affluent families easily build generational wealth, thousands of children grow up without a safety net or family financial guidance. Determined to remove barriers to financial inclusion, they set out to help young people who lacked access to financial education, banking relationships and generational financial support gain the tools needed to build long-term financial stability.
PDCU initially secured a $75,000 Money Masters grant through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis and partnered with the Rhonda Walker Foundation to provide financial literacy education, banking services and ongoing mentorship to 34 students. Building on the success of that effort, the credit union secured an additional $75,000 Money Masters grant in 2025 in partnership with Neway Works, Inc., expanding the program to another 30 participants. Most recently, PDCU obtained a $16,000 Money Masters+ grant in partnership with Friends of Foster Kids to support 10 young adults aging out of foster care.
Through these programs, participants received hands-on financial education, new savings accounts and personalized guidance designed to help them establish healthy financial habits and build confidence in managing their financial futures. To date, PDCU has provided its comprehensive financial literacy program to more than 100 participants,
opening 74 new accounts supported by $166,000 in grant funding and more than $30,000 in additional contributions from the credit union for a hands-on approach to establishing an emergency fund and investment CD.
"People Driven Credit Union's commitment to breaking barriers to financial inclusion and creating opportunities for future generations is a powerful example of the credit union philosophy in action,” said Todd Adams, Alloya’s Chief Executive Officer. “Their story demonstrates how cooperation, innovation and community partnerships can change lives and create lasting impact."
Looking ahead, PDCU plans to use the initial $10,000 they received through the Celebrate Your Story initiative to help children open accounts regardless of financial circumstances and support the development of a student-run branch at Romeo High School, providing students with real-world financial education and career-development opportunities, including paid after-school internships at their Romeo branch. “For us, this award will truly help write the next chapter of our story,” said Julia Kaiser, Community Relationship Manager at PDCU. “It will help us continue breaking cycles that
have prevented too many young people from building a strong financial foundation.
With this funding, we can help more children begin their savings journey and bring our student-run branch concept at Romeo High School to life, empowering students with real-world financial experience that can shape their futures."
About Celebrate Your Story
Launched as part of Alloya's 15th anniversary celebration, the Celebrate Your Story initiative recognizes the meaningful ways credit unions support members and communities through the Power of Cooperation. Through the program, eligible member credit unions were invited to share stories highlighting community service, financial education initiatives, charitable partnerships, volunteer efforts and other examples of credit union impact. The first 250 eligible credit unions that submitted qualifying stories each received $10,000 in recognition of their efforts. In addition, one featured story each month is selected to receive the Next Chapter Award and an additional $10,000 to be donated to the charity of their choice. Learn more at www.alloyacorp.org/celebrate.
About People Driven Credit Union
People Driven Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative serving individuals, families and businesses throughout Michigan. Founded in 1928, the credit union is committed to improving the financial lives of the communities it serves through accessible financial services, financial education and community partnerships. With
branches in Livonia, Southfield, Warren, Romeo and Ypsilanti, People Driven Credit Union helps members achieve financial success while remaining true to the credit union philosophy of people helping people. Learn more at www.peopledrivencu.org.
About Alloya Corporate FCU
Alloya Corporate Federal Credit Union is a leading provider of cooperative financial services to more than 1,200 credit unions and credit union organizations nationwide. Through the power of aggregation and cooperation, Alloya delivers liquidity, investment, digital payment and member-focused solutions designed to help credit unions compete and succeed. Headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, Alloya provides innovative financial solutions, exceptional member service and a secure, efficient platform for transaction processing and account management. Visit www.alloyacorp.org to learn more.
