A Milestone Moment in a Meaningful Year
Life is made up of millions of precious moments that shape who we are. Whether you have been a member with us for decades or recently joined our credit union, it is an honor that you have trusted us to be a part of your important moments. Renting your first apartment. Putting a car in the driveway. Supporting a child through college. Saving for retirement. Wherever your journey has taken you, it has been a privilege to come alongside you for these magical, challenging, hope-filled moments.
You have let us in on your important moments and we are now celebrating one of our own. VyStar is reaching 1 million members, an achievement made possible by your loyalty and support. From our founding at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in 1952 to now serving vibrant communities across Florida and Georgia, we have remained committed to helping members like you achieve your financial goals. Because no matter how many members join our credit union, there is only one you.
This milestone is an incredible cap on what has been a busy 2024. With the support of our members and dedication from our employees, we have opened branches in new communities, launched new programs and initiatives and made a meaningful impact in the places we call home. Please join me in looking back at these accomplishments.
Growth for Good
Much of our growth this year occurred in Georgia, particularly in Metro Atlanta, where three of our six new full-service branches opened in 2024. We opened branches in Smyrna, Marietta and Peachtree Corners, giving us eight branches total in Georgia. Our teams have been working hard to show residents what VyStar has to offer. We have already partnered with many community organizations that share in our commitment to improving the world around us. We even held a Reality Fair at Savannah’s Enmarket Arena in July to help teach good financial habits to students.
In Florida, we expanded our presence in Tallahassee with the opening of our Capital Circle branch, in Central Florida with our Lake Nona branch and in Jacksonville with our 19th high school branch at Riverside High School.
121 Financial Credit Union
Another exciting and positive development this year is that VyStar and 121 Financial Credit Union have officially come together as one credit union. While our merger was finalized in March, we are proud to share that we successfully completed member account conversion in October. Members coming from 121 Financial can now fully enjoy all the benefits of being a VyStar member with full access to our 80+ branches, products, benefits and services. We look forward to honoring the legacy of 121 Financial by helping our members achieve their financial goals and continuing to support our communities.
Living out our purpose
We hope you enjoyed our Good is everywhere celebration, which took place in September and aimed to remind us all that there is always room for hope, fun and positivity in the world. Our celebration included more than 20 free experiences at many of our partner organizations that do such good in our communities. These included museums, zoos, sporting organizations and more. We truly believe our communities would not be the same without them. Additionally, our employees rolled up their sleeves and got to work, volunteering a record of more than 6,300 hours over 2 weeks at a wide range of organizations. This multi-week effort highlighted our purpose to Do Good. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Big Plans for 2025
In 2024, we launched programs such as VyStar Financial Fitness, made improvements to services such as the VyStar Mobile app and VyChat, and introduced products such as VyStar+ Checking and our co-branded Orlando Magic Visa® debit and credit cards. Our work to help you achieve your financial goals is never finished, and we look forward to making your banking experience even better in the future.
Thank you for being a VyStar member. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to a strong start to 2025.
Sincerely,
Brian E. Wolfburg
President/CEO