Big Visions: A Q&A with Our Partner Neighbors Federal Credit Union

Baton Rouge is full of brilliant ideas, and we view it as our responsibility to make sure they are heard and spread, but we can’t do that alone. We need dedicated partners to ensure these ideas are shared, and a true TED-like experience is created. And, Neighbors Federal Credit Union couldn’t be a better Visionary Partner!

We had the opportunity to catch up with Neighbors’ Community Outreach Coordinator Betty Mujica-Milano to learn more about them and what led them to TEDxBatonRouge.

TEDxBatonRouge was created with the mission to showcase homegrown ideas. What about that resonated with your organization?

Neighbors Federal Credit Union is a financial institution that began right here in Baton Rouge and continues to operate here 70 years later. While we have grown to be one of the largest credit unions in the state, our focus remains being a dynamic financial institution that serves our local community. That’s why partnering with TEDxBatonRouge was a no-brainer – we want to promote innovation right here in our backyard and lift up new ideas that will enrich our community.

We've had the opportunity to learn so much about Neighbors throughout this partnership. What is one thing you'd like our audience to know more about your organization too?

Neighbors started as Baton Rouge Teachers Federal Credit Union in 1954 and has grown exponentially in the decades since. However, in the last several years our community outreach focus has returned to education and investing in teachers, students, and school systems in our nine-parish field of membership.

The theme for this year's TEDxBatonRouge is "think again." It serves as a guideline for the visual identity, event experience, and talk prep, influencing many aspects of the day. What does "think again" mean to Neighbors?

There is a duality that exists in the work that we do as a financial institution – our services are an essential part of people’s daily lives and within those interactions we form trusted relationships with our members. However, we often ask ourselves how do we take that relationship a step further? To show that the relationships we have built are meaningful and worth investing in. That’s when we “think again” and build programs such as Project Grants for Public Schools and Neighbors Day, to capitalize on that trust and give back to our community.

How can our audience engage with Neighbors or learn more about your organization?

To learn more about our education initiatives, grant & scholarship programs, and more, please visit www.neighborsfoundation.org.       

To learn more about TEDxBatonRouge, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Secure your ticket today to experience TEDxBatonRouge live.