WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for
Disability-Inclusive Community Development (CDICD), managed by
National Disability Institute (NDI), announced today the three
winners and their partners of its Second Annual Inclusive Community
Development Awards: True Link Financial and Sunrise Banks; Life
Asset, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI); and
Goodwill Industries of East Texas
and Prosperity Bank. The purpose of the awards is to raise the
visibility of financial institutions' and community-based
organizations' activities that are promising and exemplary in
support of low- and moderate-income (LMI) individuals with
disabilities to improve their financial stability and health and be
more active participants in adding value to our nation's
economy.
"CDICD is proud to announce the Second Annual Inclusive
Community Development Award winners. Each of our winners have
created unique initiatives that support people with disabilities in
low- and moderate-income communities," said Michael Roush, Director, Center for
Disability-Inclusive Community Development. "All of our winners
demonstrated innovation, impact and inclusiveness that contributed
to the vibrancy of their communities, including economic and
employment opportunities for people with disabilities."
True Link and Sunrise Banks created the ABLE Visa
Prepaid® Card with the view that
high-quality spending tools are particularly critical to maximizing
the benefits of ABLE accounts. The partnership shares a common
goal: to increase the independence and financial capability of ABLE
account holders by ensuring more account holders have a card in
their name to make day-to-day purchases using their ABLE funds.
"True Link is committed to offering high quality financial
services built for people with disabilities and their loved ones,"
said Kai Stinchcombe, CEO, True
Link. "We're proud to serve thousands of ABLE beneficiaries and to
promote their autonomy and financial well-being through our
services. National Disability Institute is a true leader in
identifying initiatives that positively affect the futures of
people with disabilities and their families, so it is an honor for
True Link's efforts to be recognized through the Inclusive
Community Development Awards."
"We're excited to partner with True Link to help provide greater
financial independence for consumers," said Bryan Toft, Chief Revenue Officer, Sunrise
Banks. "The ABLE Visa Card is a product we're proud to
support."
Life Asset enables low-income entrepreneurs in the greater
Washington, D.C. area to start or
expand a business by providing microloans (a loan less than
$5,000) and financial training to
those unable to access loans elsewhere. By coupling microloans with
comprehensive financial training and peer support, Life Asset
equips clients with the tools they need to overcome barriers to
economic opportunity, create jobs for themselves and others and
become financially self-sufficient. Approximately 12 percent of
Life Asset's clients are people with disabilities.
"Life Asset is grateful for this recognition because it inspires
us to continue our work providing microloans and business training
to help people with disabilities create jobs and build their
financial resilience through small business ownership," said
Markus Larsson, Founder and
Executive Director, Life Asset. "There are many others who deserve
to share in this award – primarily the many hard working
entrepreneurs with disabilities who provide invaluable products and
services through their businesses. We look forward to continuing
working with NDI and our partners to ensure that the needs of
entrepreneurs with disabilities are included as we work to expand
access to small business loans and training in the Washington, D.C. area."
Goodwill of East Texas provides
job training resources and wraparound support services, including
programming strategically designed to increase independence and
financial stability for individuals with disabilities. Prosperity
Bank began partnering with the organization in January 2017 to provide financial educational
workshops to Goodwill staff and program participants, many of whom
were underbanked and lacked basic banking skills. More than 200
Goodwill of East Texas staff and
program participants are served annually through this unique
partnership.
"Receiving this award from the Center for
Disability-Inclusive Community Development validates the work that
our committed staff perform daily," said Kimberly B. Lewis, CEO, Goodwill Industries of
East Texas. "Serving and working
in an inclusive community breathes life into everyone
involved. A diverse and inclusive community equates to more
dollars in the community by 30 percent annually, as people
with disabilities contribute as both employees and customers at
local businesses. Socially, an inclusive community means
that people have a sense of belonging. We all need that now
more than ever."
"Community involvement has always been a core value at
Prosperity Bank, and it is an honor to be recognized for our
efforts in this way," said Scott
Voland, Director of Sales Development, Prosperity Bank. "We
are grateful for Goodwill Industries of East Texas and all the other organizations
that have joined us in giving back to our community last year.
Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of those
around us."
Nominations were evaluated on innovation, responsiveness,
collaboration and impact in building a better financial future for
people with disabilities and their families. Focus areas included:
workforce development, affordable and accessible housing, small
business development, financial literacy and counseling, adaptive
technology, digital literacy and digital access.
The Center for Disability-Inclusive Community Development works
to improve the financial health and well-being of low- and
moderate-income individuals with disabilities and their families to
reexamine the approaches, roles and responsibilities of stakeholder
to proactively address financial access and economic opportunity
needs of people with disabilities through community development. A
key component is increasing awareness and usage of the
opportunities and resources available under the Community
Reinvestment Act (CRA).
Launched in 2019, the Center is focused on the importance of
inclusive community development activities. These include improving
how the financial, community development and disability communities
can work more closely together to respond to current financial and
economic challenges and bringing attention to positive examples of
CRA investment, lending and service that support financial
resilience for LMI people with disabilities and their families. In
the next year, the Center's work will remain focused on improving
the financial health and well-being of LMI individuals with
disabilities and their families by increasing awareness of
community development opportunities and usage of the resources
available under the CRA.
National Disability Institute is the first and only national
organization exclusively focused on the financial health and
wellness of people with disabilities and their families. With an
emphasis on poverty reduction, financial capability and financial
inclusion, NDI continues to build extensive relationships between
the disability and financial communities to focus on systems
change.
To learn more about the Center for Disability-Inclusive
Community Development and its activities, visit www.cdicd.org.
About the Center for Disability-Inclusive Community
Development
The Center for Disability-Inclusive Community
Development is focused on improving the financial health and
well-being of low- and moderate-income (LMI) individuals with
disabilities and their families by increasing awareness and usage
of the opportunities and resources available under the Community
Reinvestment Act (CRA). The Center creates an opportunity to
reexamine the approaches, roles and responsibilities of regulated
financial institutions to proactively address the financial access
and economic opportunity needs of people with disabilities through
CRA. To learn more about the Center for Disability-Inclusive
Community Development and its work, visit www.cdicd.org.
About National Disability Institute
National
Disability Institute (NDI) is a national nonprofit
organization dedicated to building a better financial future for
people with disabilities and their families. The first national
organization committed exclusively to championing economic
empowerment, financial education, asset development and financial
stability for all persons with disabilities, NDI affects change
through public education, policy development, training, technical
assistance and innovative initiatives. To learn more, visit
www.nationaldisabilityinstitute.org. Engage with NDI on
Facebook: @NationalDisability or follow NDI on
Twitter: @NatDisability.
Contact: Kathleen Brannigan,
kbrannigan@ndi-inc.org, 917-647-4430
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SOURCE National Disability Institute