Alive Credit Union is proud to sponsor the second annual Trash Art Competition at the Greater Jacksonville Fair, a creative endeavor that promotes environmental awareness and community well-being. This unique event challenges participants to transform recycled materials into stunning works of art, reinforcing the vital message that sustainability plays a crucial role in our overall wellness.

Using recycled materials not only showcases the artistic talents within our community but also highlights the importance of reducing waste and taking a more sustainable approach to daily life. It's a reflection of our commitment to Inspire Financial Wellness, as we believe that financial health and environmental well-being go hand in hand.

The competition features two age categories, catering to the creativity of both our younger and more experienced artists. We encourage everyone to visit the exhibit at the Greater Jacksonville Fair, running now through November 12th, to witness the incredible art pieces and be inspired by the transformative power of recycling. Together, we can make a positive impact on our community's wellness and environmental consciousness.

Family Promise is a long-time Alive Credit Union partner. Family Promise has been serving displaced families since 2006 in Jacksonville but is a national organization that has served communities since 1986. Family Promise shelters up to three families at a time. The family is invited to stay at the shelter that affords an apartment-style living quarters, communal bathroom, and communal living quarters. The families are provided with food and transportation. They also are granted access to office space, computers, storage for personal items, laundry facilities, and a garden/playground. Family Promise’s case management focuses on breaking barriers so the family can return to stability. The focus areas are stable, affordable housing, job readiness, and employment as well as medical care, childcare, clothing, and furniture for once the family graduates the program.

A focus of family promise is improving financial wellness.

Did You Know

• In Jacksonville, there is a critical shortage of shelter beds for families experiencing homelessness

• In 2022 Jacksonville was rated number 5 in rent increase with a monthly median rent up 22% over 2019. (Most recent numbers do show a trending stability and decrease in rent, down 1.2%)

• There are an estimated 3,400 homeless in Jacksonville, only 1,100 have access to emergency shelter beds

• Leading causes of homelessness are attributed: to lack of affordable housing, poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, mental illness, racial inequality, healthcare inaccessibility, low wages, and community violence.

How you can get involved

Every year in November Family Promise has a homelessness education event called: Cardboard City. During this event, you are encouraged to sleep on a couch, in a tent, in your car, or in a cardboard box. At the annual event families, churches, teams, and companies build cardboard “houses”. This year, I would like to challenge our branches to participate in a cardboard house competition. Using simple resources such as free boxes, bags, tape, and scissors, create a house, credit union branch, or ATM. You can display this in your lobby with the cardboard city brochures I sent through the courier. The branch with the best cardboard creation will win a special surprise. Check out the images below from previous years.