MEMBER PROFILE

Diane Hecht

While living in New Jersey in 1995, I decided to move to Ithaca to care for my elderly mother and to purchase a home here. My daughter set up appointments for me at Alternatives to discuss obtaining a mortgage and I remember her telling me not to dress up "NJ Style" as the small credit union on State Street in Ithaca was not like any bank I'd ever seen. She was so right! In the lobby dogs were barking and waiting for their snacks from the very casually dressed tellers, while babies were playing in areas provided by the Credit Union - that was the beginning of my love affair with Alternatives.

Over the past 13 years since offering me that first mortgage, as both Alternatives and I have grown and prospered, they have provided Home Equity loans to help me care for my mother, create my own small business, and this past spring to re-mortgage and pay off debts. The wonderful people in the Alternatives mortgage department offer amazing expertise in a very caring manner. Many thanks to all of you at Alternatives who offer your services for our community!

TWO WAYS TO OBTAIN FINANCIAL COUNSELING, BOTH FREE!

We're pleased to announce two FREE services to assist members with financial counseling and education. Our goal is to give the tools necessary for you to become financially self-sufficient. Our hope is that these services will assist you in any way possible to meet your financial goals.

1. We are partnering with BALANCE, a confidential financial counseling and education service. This service, available by phone, and absolutely FREE to members, works with members to help them get their finances back into balance.